Two coronavirus variants now present in all Metro Manila cities —DOH

Two coronavirus variants of concern are now present in all cities in Metro Manila, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

“We saw that these variants are now in all cities here in Metro Manila. That is factual,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.

“In all of the cities, we have either the UK variant or the South Africa variant. Also in other cities, they have both UK variant and South Africa variant.”

Vergeire said the variants helped drive the fresh surge in COVID-19 cases but stressed that poor compliance with health protocols was the “root cause.” 

However, the health official declined to confirm whether there is already community transmission of the two variants.

Vergeire said the DOH was still working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to verify the extent of the variants’ transmission.

The Philippines has so far detected the B.1.1.7 (UK variant) in 223 cases, the B.1.351 (South Africa variant) in 152 cases, and the P.1 (Brazil variant) in one case. 

The variants possess mutations that are linked to either increased transmissibility or immune escape, which can lead to lowered vaccine efficacy.

A new coronavirus variant called P.3 was also recently discovered in the country. It has been seen in over 100 cases. 

The DOH stressed that the P.3 is “still not identified as a variant of concern as current available data are insufficient to conclude whether the variant will have significant public health implications.”

Experts have said that COVID-19 transmission must be contained to keep mutations down since “mutations occur as part of the natural process of virus evolution.” 

The Philippines is battling a fresh surge in infections that has been attributed to the spread of the new variants, increased mobility, and relaxed adherence to health protocols.

The government has temporarily banned non-essential travel to and from Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, and Laguna in a bid to arrest the surge. 

The OCTA Research group warned that new cases could spike to 20,000 daily if the surge is left unabated.

‘Better to overcompensate’

Meanwhile, DOH advisor and infectious diseases expert Dr. Edsel Salvana urged the public to act as though there is already a widespread transmission of the new variants to protect themselves from infection.

“The evidence points towards community transmission. Is it sustained community transmission? We’re not sure. But we have to act like it because it’s better to overcompensate rather than undercompensate,” he said during the Laging Handa briefing Monday.

Salvana also echoed the call of other experts to keep transmission low to stop the new variants from becoming dominant.

“We know that if the variants become dominant, the infection rate and mortality will really increase,” he explained.

The DOH earlier warned that cases could grow by 28-fold if the variants of concern become dominant in the country.  — KBK/RSJ, GMA News