IATF forms panel of experts to monitor coronavirus variants

The Philippines’ COVID-19 task force has created a panel of experts that will monitor and identify the occurrence of new coronavirus variants in the country.

Headed by Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the technical working group is also mandated to provide policy recommendations to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on the appropriate response regarding these variants.

The other members of the panel are the following:

• Executive Director Jaime Montoya of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (co-chairperson)
• Dr. Anna Ong-Lim of the Department of Health Technical Advisory Group (TAG)
• Dr. Marissa Alejandria of the DOH TAG
• Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvaña of the DOH TAG
• Dr. Celia Carlos of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)
• Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-dela Paz of the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health
• Dr. Cynthia Saloma of the University of the Philippines – Philippine Genome Center
• Dr. John Wong of EpiMetrics 

The formation of the technical working group was in compliance with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte last December 26.

The Philippines has imposed travel restrictions on 21 countries to prevent the entry of the new coronavirus variant that was first detected in the United Kingdom. The travel restrictions will last until January 15.

Passenger from Philippines

The creation of the group comes at a time when a passenger from the Philippines was identified by Hong Kong authorities as having tested positive for the UK variant of COVID-19.

Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection, said the traveler arrived in Hong Kong on board Philippine Airlines flight PR300 on December 22.

"[Patient] 9003 took PR300 and arrived in Hong Kong on the 22nd of December from Philippines," Chuang said in a briefing of the special administrative region's Information Services Department.

For her part, Department of Health spokesperson Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said the DOH had already requested more details from the Hong Kong government.

The DOH is also getting a copy of the flight manifest of PR300 on December 22 from PAL.

"We have initiated coordination with the IHR Focal Point of HK to request further details," Vergeire said. "Also retrieving the flight manifest for the identified flight. We will be informing as soon as we get complete information." 

On Tuesday, testing czar Secretary Vince Dizon revealed that 74 overseas travelers who entered the Philippines as the country tightened restrictions over the new coronavirus variant tested positive for COVID-19.

Samples taken from the 74 cases have been sent to the RITM and the Philippine Genome Center to determine if any of them carried the new variant. — RSJ, GMA News