Health authorities revealed that the carrier of the UK COVID-19 variant in Bontoc Province is still unknown after infecting 12 residents in the area.

In a report on Philstar.com, Karen Lonogan, senior health program officer of the Department of Health (DOH) Cordillera said that the suspected carrier, an overseas Filipino worker from the United Kingdom who went home last month tested positive for COVID-19 but negative for the UK variant based on the sequencing conducted by the Philippine Genome Center.

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The OFW arrived last December 11 and was allowed to go home after testing negative the next day.

The DOH Cordillera also said that it has yet to get the results of an infected salesman from La Trinidad, Benguet if he was infected with the UK variant.

On Monday, the DOH confirms that at least 38 of the close contacts of the 13 UK COVID-19 variant cases in Bontoc, Mountain Province tested positive for the virus.

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“Iyong isang taga-Bontoc, he tested negative [for COVID-19] upon arrival last December 13. December 14 nakauwi siya sa kanila. Noong December 25, nagkaroon sila ng pagdiriwang dahil Pasko. Tapos December 26, they had a ritual as part of their beliefs. December 29 na siya nagkaroon ng sintomas,” DOH Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online briefing.

The DOH official added that some 144 close contacts have been identified and 116 of them were already tested for the virus.

The UK variant case in La Trinidad, Benguet also infected four other people and most of them were household members. (TDT)