DOH: WHO still assessing extent of new variants’ spread in Philippines

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) are still assessing the extent of the transmission of new coronavirus variants in the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that it is up to the WHO to declare community transmission, which would mean that there are no longer links between COVID-19 cases carrying the new variants.

“Hanggang ngayon, wala pa po tayong rekomendasyon (Until now, there is still no recommendation) from WHO if we will already classify Metro Manila, for example, as one having this community transmission,” Vergeire said in an online briefing.

“Kailangan very cautious and very tedious ‘yung proseso para mapag-aralan kung talagang may community transmission o wala because these have international consequences or impact,” she added.

(The assessment of community transmission has to be very cautious and very tedious because this has international consequences or impact.)

Vergeire also said experts are discussing how to improve biosurveillance efforts to ensure that the samples collected weekly paint an “accurate” picture of the transmission of new variants.

“We have to remember that we only have 750 samples. That’s our capacity every week. So kailangan ‘yang 750 na ‘yan ay nai-a-allocate natin (So we need to allocate those 750 samples), rationally distributed across the regions,” she explained.

The Philippines has logged 659 B.1.1.7 (UK) variant cases, 695 B.1.351 (South Africa) variant cases, 2 P.1 (Brazil) variant cases, and 148 cases of the P.3 variant first detected in Central Visayas. 

The country continues to battle a surge in COVID-19 cases, which health authorities have attributed to the new variants, increased mobility, and relaxed adherence to health protocols.

The Philippines has 936,133 COVID-19 cases with 779,084 recoveries and 15,960 deaths as of Sunday afternoon. — RSJ, GMA News