A Filipino crew member from the MV Athens Bridge who was diagnosed with the COVID-19 variant first detected in India has died, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
The patient is a male with an address in Paranaque.
Three other seafarers are also hospitalized and still recovering from the disease.
Last week, the DOH reported 10 Indian COVID-19 variant cases in the country. This brings the total confirmed cases in the country to 12.
“The latest sequencing run included the samples from the crew members of the MV Athens Bridge, returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) with relevant travel history, and deceased severe or critical COVID-19 cases,” the DOH said in a statement.
The nine B.1.617.2 cases were from the 12 PCR-positive Filipino crew of MV Athens Bridge.
“Four of the nine B.1.617.2 cases remain admitted at a hospital in Manila and are currently in stable condition while the other five are currently in an isolation facility,” the DOH said.
Other samples of three COVID-19 positive individuals were not eligible for sequencing.
The three crew members remain in a quarantine facility.
The DOH added that all the contacts of the first two cases of B.1.617.2 have completed the prescribed 14-day quarantine and have been discharged from their quarantine facility.
“Of the three initially reported COVID-19 positive cases that are close contacts of the 2nd case in the plane, one was sent for sequencing but was not detected to harbor a variant of concern (VOC),” it added.
Thirteen new cases of the UK variants were also detected. Three cases came from returning OFWs while the other cases were tagged as local cases.
Seven new B.1.351 variant cases or South African variant cases were also recorded.
