First Omicron case in Western Visayas detected in Bacolod

Bacolod is strengthening its border controls as Mayor Evelio Leonardia confirmed today a Department of Health report that a “recovered” Omicron patient slipped through the city on Dec. 31, 2021.

But Bacolodnons need not be alarmed, and medical experts from the DOH-6 and the Emergency Operations Center-Task Force said there is no cause for panic as the 38-year old returning overseas Filipino, a cruise ship crew member who planed in from the United States, has already completed the mandatory isolation and quarantine requirement in Manila and had a negative RT-PCR result before being allowed to board a flight for the Bacolod-Silay Airport.

He was picked up by his wife at the airport using a self-drive rented car.

Interestingly, neither of the couple is a Bacolod native.

The husband is from Mindanao, while the wife is from Pampanga, who arrived in Bacolod Dec. 5, applied for work at a local BPO firm and was accepted as a call center agent.

Dr. Rosalie Deocampo, EOC-TF cluster head for contact-tracing, briefed Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, Councilors Cindy Rojas and Israel Salanga and other task force executives led by former City Administrator Em Ang on the first Omicron case detected in Western Visayas.

“This is apparently not a local case. This is an imported one based on the accounts made by the DOH and other experts. It so happened that his genome sequencing result came out late. But just the same, we have to take precautions,” Leonardia pointed out.

EOC-TF Executive Director Em Ang, echoing the position of the mayor, further cited the point of view made by Dr. Jane Juanico of the DOH-6 infectious disease cluster, who pointed out that should the subject turn positive with his latest RT-PCR test, he will be placed under quarantine for seven more days.

His result turned positive early (last night Jan. 3, 2020) with a cycle threshold of 36.7, which means that he is less infectious, Deocampo explained.

It is quite normal for those found previously infected to still yield positive result up to 90 days but no longer considered infectious, she added.

The RT-PCR result for his wife is still being awaited.

TIMELINES

Deocampo presented to Leonardia important timelines involving the ROF when the mayor called for an emergency EOC-TF meeting via Zoom.

Dec. 12: The 38-year old ROF from Mindanao had his RT PCR test in Florida, USA that yielded negative result.
Dec. 13: He traveled from Miami to New York, where he started his 15-hour journey to Manila.
Dec. 15: The ROF arrived in Manila at 5 a.m. and checked in at Century Park Hotel in Malate which is an OWWA-accredited quarantine facility.
Dec. 17: He developed symptoms, specifically sore throat, cough and colds. He blamed, at first, the hot chocolate he ingested to have caused the symptoms.
Dec. 19: He underwent the mandatory RT-PCR test required on the fifth day after arrival. He was already symptomatic.
Dec. 20: His RT-PCR yielded positive resultDec. 24: The infected ROF was transferred to another Malate hotel that serves as an OWWA isolation facility for positive patients.
Dec. 31: He was released from isolation by the doctor at the facility, saying he had already fully recovered. He was then allowed to board his Manila-Bacolod Silay flight and was fetched by his wife at the airport.

No RT-PCR test was done on the patient prior to his release from the isolation facility in Malate, Deocampo said.

Recovery was based on clinical basis, meaning he was already asymptomatic since Dec. 20 until Dec 31 when he was released and was then allowed to be on a sweeper flight for Bacolod, she further explained.

Doctors also noted that the patient had been asymptomatic from Dec. 20 to Jan. 3.

LAST DAY OF WORK

The EOC contact-tracing cluster indicated that his wife had a Dec. 5 to Jan. 5 booking at the Check Inn Hotel.

Deocampo said the wife had actually rented a boarding house at Singcang-Airport but was awaiting for her husband to arrive before moving in.

The EOC official also said that her co-workers at the BPO company should not be alarmed because her last day of reporting was on Dec. 29 yet or, two days before she had a contact with her infected husband.* (Bacolod City PIO)