Philippines to spend P362M for COVID-19 genomic biosurveillance — Nograles

The Philippines will spend P362 million for genomic biosurveillance as part of the country’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Thursday.

Nograles said the government, through the Department of Health, would invest in genomic biosurveillance to strengthen and improve the overall COVID-19 response.

“[T]he conduct of whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of the virus will enable us to understand the evolution of the virus across geographical and time scales as well as the impact of the specific mutations on viral properties including infectiousness and virulence,” he told a press briefing.

This initiative would also help the government implement a “more responsive” vaccination program, execute other existing health interventions, and prepare for future pandemics, Nograles said.

The country has so far recorded 530,118 COVID-19 cases with 10,942 deaths. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News