(Eagle News) — Health authorities have detected more coronavirus variant cases in the Philippines.
According to a press release issued by the Department of Health on Tuesday, May 4, the DOH, the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health detected additional 289 B.1.1.7 (UK) variant cases and 380 B.1.351 (South Africa) variant cases.
Nine more cases of the P.3 variant first detected in the Philippines were also found in the 744 samples sequenced recently.
With the addition, there are now 1,075 B.1.351 variant cases, 948 B.1.1.7 cases, 157 P.3 cases, and two cases of the P.1 variant first detected in Brazil.
According to the statement, of the additional 289 B.1.1.7 variant cases detected, 48 cases were Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs), 185 local cases, while 56 cases are still of unknown origin.
Health authorities are still checking if they are local or ROF cases.
“Based on the case line list, 3 cases remain active while 2 have died and 284 have recovered,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, of the additional 380 B.1.351 variant cases, 107 cases were ROFs, 196 local cases, while health authorities were still checking whether the remaining 77 cases were local or ROF cases.
Of the additional B.1.351 variant cases, one is still active while 379 cases have been tagged as recovered.
As for the P3 variant, the statement said of the nine additional cases, three were ROFs, four local cases, while authorities were checking whether the two remaining cases were local or ROF cases.
All of these nine cases have recovered.
“The DOH also clarifies that B.1.351 is the most common variant among the samples sequenced with assigned lineages, contrary to reports that it is now the dominant variant in the country,” the statement said.
To date, the statement said the UP-PGC has already sequenced a total of 7,167 samples, of which 5,917 were assigned lineages.
Among the samples with assigned lineages, it said the B.1.351 composed 18.2%, the B.1.1.7 composed 16.0%, the P.3 composed 2.7%, while the P.1 variant composed 0.03%.
“The DOH further boosts its efforts to increase vaccination coverage among the priority population groups, to meet the goal of the National Vaccination Program to protect the vulnerable and prevent COVID-19 related deaths,” the statement said.
It added the public should strictly and consistently adhere to the minimum public health standards to minimize the risk of exposure and infection and complement the intensified vaccination activities.
