The husband of the Philippines’ 4th Omicron variant case has tested positive for COVID-19, Department of Health (DOH) spokesperson and Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reported on Tuesday.
Vergeire said the husband is a 37-year-old Filipino.
Both husband and wife were isolated for 10 days after testing positive.
They will be retested again based on protocols, said Vergeire.
On Monday, DOH announced the 4th omicron variant case, a 38-year old female who entered the Philippines from the United States on Dec.10 on Philippine Airlines flight PR 127.
A sample from the husband will be processed for sequencing to identify its variant.
Their household members are isolated and will also be tested based on protocols, Vergeire said.
The four patients with omicron infection in the Philippines have shown mild symptoms of the disease so far, the DOH said on Tuesday.
Vergeire said authorities have yet to discover other characteristics of the highly transmissible COVID-19 variant.
“What we have seen is that those with the Omicron variant showed milder symptoms. But of course, it’s not conclusive because these are just four individuals we are currently observing,” she said in an interview with ANC’s Headstart.
Vergeire said two patients experienced colds, cough and itchy throat but these were resolved after two to three days. The other two patients were asymptomatic.
The Philippines announced its first two omicron cases on Dec. 15 from a returning Filipino from Japan and a Nigerian national.
Barely a week later, it reported its third Omicron case in a returning Filipino from Qatar.
Health authorities said the Omicron variant is far more contagious than previous variants of COVID-19 but appears to cause a less severe illness than its predecessors.
Omicron is spreading faster than any variant before it, with cases in some countries doubling every two to three days.
It has already overtaken Delta as the dominant strain in Denmark and the UK, where the number of new cases daily has topped 100,000. It is likely to become dominant in other countries soon.
As of Dec. 27, the country has administered over 106 million COVID-19 shots. Some 56.9 million people have received the first dose while 47.8 million others are fully vaccinated.
Also on Tuesday, Vergeire said it is too early to shorten the isolation period for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in light of the threat of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
Vergeire made the statement in response to the recommendation of United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cut the isolation time for people with asymptomatic COVID-19 infections, from 10 to five days.
“This has to be discussed thoroughly with our experts. But based on my knowledge, I think this is too early because of the threat of the Omicron,” Vergeire said.
She said there is still no complete evidence regarding the characteristics of the Omicron variant. Many countries are still falling behind in administering the anti-virus jabs, she said.
“This might pose a risk rather than a benefit to countries because it may only lead to infection,” she said in a mix of Filipino and English.
In the Philippines, immediate isolation is required of any individual with fever or at least two or more symptoms of COVID-19.
According to the DOH, all asymptomatic confirmed cases will be placed in isolation for a minimum of 10 days from the first viral diagnostic test.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that the five-day isolation period be “followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others.”
The agency said the new guidelines were “motivated by science,” which had demonstrated that the majority of COVID-19 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally one to two days prior to the onset of symptoms and in the 2 to 3 days after.
“The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement announcing the change.
“These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives.”
The updates came as the highly transmissible Omicron strain has sent cases skyrocketing across the United States, once again disrupting lives and a global economy battered by almost two years of the pandemic.
Since the pandemic began, the Philippines has logged over 2.8 million COVID-19 cases, with 51,000 fatalities and around 9,500 active cases.
The Philippines logged 421 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 2,839,111.
The nationwide positivity rate also went up from 2.2 percent to 2.6 percent, based on test results of samples from 18,122 people on Dec. 26. The figure is below the World Health Organization’s requirement target of less than 5 percent positivity rate.
The DOH also reported two fatalities, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 51,213.
The DOH also reported 248 new recoveries, bringing the total recoveries to 2,778,148.
There were 9,750 active cases, of which 489 were asymptomatic; 3,766 mild; 3,343 moderate; 1,778 severe; and 374 critical.
Nationwide, 18 percent of ICU beds, 23 percent of isolation beds, 11 percent of ward beds, and 10 percent of ventilators, were in use.
In Metro Manila, 21 percent of ICU beds, 20 percent of isolation beds, 17 percent of ward beds, and 12 percent of ventilators, were in use.