No direct correlation between new COVID-19 variants, increasing deaths –DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday that the increase in the number of coronavirus disease 2019 deaths is not directly related to new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19.

“‘Pag tinignan natin hindi pa rin natin nakikita ang direct correlation ng pagdami ng mga namamatay dahil dito sa mga variants,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during state-run PTV’s Laging Handa briefing.

{If we look at the data, we still cannot see a direct correlation on rising COVID-19 deaths because of new variants.}

As of May 29, the death toll due to COVID-19 reached 20,722, 156 of which are new fatalities.

Vergeire said that one person identified with the B.1.617.2 variant, first detected in India, died while 12 have already recovered.

Meanwhile, she said only 2% of those identified with the B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the UK, have died.

“Dito sa South African variant ganun din po mga 2.1% out of all those identified with South African variant,” Vergeire said.

[It is the same case as to those identified with the South African variant, only 2.1% out of all those identified have died.]

Data from the DOH as of May 26 showed that of the 1,071 identified with B.1.1.7 variant, 1,031 have recovered while 29 have died and 11 are active cases.

Of the 1,246 detected with the B.1.351 variant, first detected in South Africa, 1,205 have recovered and 27 have died while 14 are active cases.

Cases of P.1 variant, first detected in Brazil, were two, all of which have already recovered.

As to the P.3, the Philippines’s very own variant, 162 cases were detected, 159 of which have already recovered and two were deceased.

While deaths related to the new variants were few, Vergeire admitted that there is still a limitation in terms of surveillance.

“We are just doing sampling in specific areas at hindi pa rin natin nakikita ang totoong picture [and we still can't see the real picture],” she said.

The Philippines’ tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases rose to 1,216,582 on Saturday after the DOH reported 7,443 new infections as two laboratories failed to submit data on time. — DVM, GMA News