MANILA – The Philippines on Wednesday has officially confirmed its first case of the highly contagious B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 variant, also known as the UK variant, after samples from a Filipino who returned home from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Jan. 7 yielded positive genome sequencing results.

TOKYO – The Japanese government on Friday said it would require all travelers entering Japan to submit negative results from COVID-19 tests taken within 72 hours of their departure for the country during the period of the second state of emergency that was declared Thursday.

TOKYO – Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday has declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three other nearby prefectures that will last for a month in an effort to curb soaring COVID-19 infections.

MANILA – The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Tuesday released another 10 billion yen (roughly PHP4.7 billion) under its Post-Disaster Standby Loan 2 (PDSL 2) assistance to the Philippines in support of families devastated by recent typhoons in the last quarter of 2020.