CNN Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday issued an update on the status of nearly 150 passengers from India who recently entered the country.

DOH clarified in a statement that five passengers — not six as earlier announced — have tested positive for COVID-19. The patients include four Filipinos and one foreigner.

One of the five remains in isolation while the four others have recovered, DOH Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines’ The Source.

Their samples are being checked if it can be subjected to genomic sequencing to check if they are carrying new COVID-19 variants, including the “double mutant” B.1.617 variant first found in India.

The health department said 149 passengers with history of travel to India entered the country in April before the 15-day travel ban imposed by the Philippines on April 29. The 129 returning overseas Filipinos and 20 foreign nationals were all quarantined upon arrival then tested on the 6th or 7th day.

DOH also clarified its earlier report that six patients are still “being located.” It is now saying the test results of seven travelers from India are undergoing verification.

Vergeire said there’s missing data from the Bureau of Quarantine, but what is known is that three of them are Filipinos while four are foreigners. She said they hope to get complete information on all the seven travelers within the day

The Philippines has imposed an entry ban until May 14 on inbound passengers who traveled to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to prevent the entry of the COVID-19 B.1.617 variant first detected in India.

The country has yet to record a case of the B.1.617 variant. This variant is feared as it is is a virus strain that carries two mutations. It’s not yet clear how many infections have been linked to this double mutant variant, or whether the strain is any more dangerous, but India’s health ministry said “such mutations confer immune escape and increased infectivity.”

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