Eight more cases of the United Kingdom (UK) variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been found by the Philippine Genome Center in the Philippines, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

In a statement issued Friday night, the DOH said this brought total UK variant patients in the country to 25.

"Following the sustained biosurveillance efforts of the government, the DOH confirms the detection of eight additional COVID-19 cases positive for the B.1.1.7 variant (UK variant)," said the DOH.

It said three of eight new cases are from Bontoc, Mountain Province, where a local transmission of the UK variant had been declared.

Of the three cases, two women, aged 25 and 54, were identified as close contacts of a previously reported B.1.1.7 variant cases in Bontoc.

The third case is a 31-year-old man, whose link to the Bontoc cluster is being verified.

Two of additional cases are from La Trinidad, Benguet.

One case, the DOH noted, is a 15-year-old girl and is a relative of the previously identified UK variant case in La Trinidad.

The other case in Benguet is an 84-year-old man, who had no known history of travel nor contact with any UK variant case, and died last January 24.

The DOH said another two additional UK variant cases are returning overseas Filipinos.

The first it said, is a 29-year-old woman, who arrived from the United Arab Emirates on January 7 on board Philippine Airlines Flight PR 659.

The second is a 54-year-old male from Talisay, Cebu.

The eighth and last case is a 35-year-old man from Liloan, Cebu.

His sample was collected last January 17 and is tagged as an active case with mild disease and is being managed. DMS