Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco tests positive for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines – Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco said on Sunday, January 2, that he tested positive for COVID-19.

In a Facebook post on Sunday night, Tiangco said he was positive in an RT-PCR test administered earlier in the day. Tiangco said he routinely takes self-antigen tests because he’s immunocompromised due to severe asthma.

Tiangco said he was still negative in an antigen test Saturday, but tested positive on Sunday afternoon. He took the RT-PCR test thereafter.

“Ako po ay humihingi ng paumanhin sa lahat ng aking nakaharap noong nakaraang mga araw at nakikiusap na obserbahan nang mabuti ang inyong kalusugan. Kung meron kayong nararamdamang kakaiba, sumangguni po agad sa doctor,” Tiangco said.

(I apologize to everybody I interacted with in the last few days, and I ask you to closely monitor your health. If you feel any symptom, consult your doctor.)

Based on his Facebook posts, Tiangco held an in-person meeting with city hall officials on New Year’s eve, December 31. The day before that, on December 30, he was distributing media noche items to his constituents.

The Department of Health (DOH) reported 4,600 additional COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest one-day tally since October 29. The average number of new cases over the past seven days also hit 2,061, the highest since November 13, when it was at 2,087.

Metro Manila will be under Alert Level 3 from January 3 to January 15. Face-to-face classes were also suspended in the National Capital Region, while courts in the metro will also scale down on staff.

The DOH had earlier said there is a “high possibility” of local transmission of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the Philippines.

– Rappler.com