DOH: Most cases of 2 coronavirus variants found in NCR, Calabarzon

The National Capital Region and Calabarzon get the bulk of COVID-19 cases caused by coronavirus variants first detected in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7) and South Africa (B.1.351), the Department of Health said Wednesday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stressed, however, that local experts and the World Health Organization (WHO) have not yet determined if there is community transmission of these variants, meaning the cases are no longer linked to one another.

So far, the Philippines has recorded 1,075 B.1.351 cases; 948 B.1.1.7;  and 157 from the P.3 variant first detected in the Philippines, and two cases of the P.1 variant first seen in Brazil. 

Vergeire said Metro Manila has 602 B.1.351 variant cases, 358 B.1.1.7 cases, and 39 P.3 cases.

Calabarzon, meanwhile, has 121 cases of the B.1.351 variant, 145 B.1.1.7 cases, and six P.3 cases.

She  explained that the selection of samples for genome sequencing is purposive or limited to clusters of COVID-19 cases, individuals with links to other variant cases, and returning overseas Filipinos.

“Hindi pa natin ma-ascertain kung talagang sila na ‘yung prevalent na variants dito at saka kung meron na tayong masasabi that we have this community transmission” (We cannot ascertain whether these are the prevalent variants and whether we have community transmission), she said in an online briefing.

Earlier, the DOH earlier said WHO experts were still assessing the extent of the transmission of new variants in the Philippines. 

The country has logged 1,067,892 COVID-19 cases with 984,210 recoveries and 17,622 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon. —LBG, GMA News