MANILA, Philippines — Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto tweeted Saturday night, January 15, that he was positive for COVID-19.

“I’ve tested positive for covid-19. I have sore throat, fever, and body aches, but please don’t worry!” Sotto said in his tweet.

The Pasig City mayor said he would continue to work remotely while in isolation for seven days.

The Department of Health recently shortened the quarantine and isolation periods for confirmed and probable case for COVID-19.

In the updated guidelines, fully vaccinated individuals who are asymptomatic and close contacts of a probable or confirmed case should quarantine for five days instead of the previous seven. 

Isolation periods for fully vaccinated asymptomatic individuals, along with those who have mild cases of the virus, are likewise slashed to seven days instead of 10 days.

In the case of mild cases, seven days would start from the onset of symptoms, while asymptomatic individuals should begin their count from when they tested positive. 

Last year, Sotto went on quarantine after he was exposed to his driver who died of COVID-19. He tested negative then.

Nearly two years into the pandemic, the Philippines is experiencing fresh surge in infections due to the highly contagious Omicron variant. On Saturday, the country recorded its highest single-day tally of cases at 39,004. The Philippines now has over 3 million cases of the deadly virus. — Rappler.com