Duque says Beta variant most common among surveilled

The Beta variant of the coronavirus is the most common lineage found in the country, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

The variant was first spotted in South Africa.

In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte, Duque said the total percentage of the Beta variant in the country was at 21.11% nationwide.

Duque said once the Beta variant is detected in a region, it becomes the more common lineage.

"Siya na po ang pinakakaraniwan ngayon na nakikita sa biosurveillance... Ito na po ang pinaka-common na variant," he said.

This was followed by the Alpha variant (United Kingdom lineage) with 18.53% nationwide.

The detection of variants of concern in the provinces of Bohol and Negros Oriental "may explain sudden case increases in these areas," according to the summary of the DOH report presented during the briefing.

Several areas in the Visayas and Mindanao have seen a surge in the number of cases, but the Health department said several factors contribute to this, including complacency in observing health protocols.

Asked by Duterte if the variants can create a new wave of infection, Duque said it is possible, but increased mobility and poor compliance to the minimum health standards can also cause spikes in cases.

"We have to really implement our (Prevent-Detect-Isolate- Treat-Reintegrate) strategy plus vaccination to be able to keep our cases down and manage them while we are safely opening up the economy," Duque said.

Duterte also asked if the new variants could prompt tighter border controls.

The Health chief pointed out that while implementing stricter border measures could be an option, the Philippines has been effective in preventing the entry of new variants such as Delta.

He said the country still has no evidence of a local case of the Delta variant.

"We have been effective in preventing the introduction of the Delta variant into households and into communities and we hope to keep it that way," Duque said.

On Monday, the Philippines detected two more cases of the Delta variant in returning overseas Filipinos.

These new cases raised the total Delta variant cases in the country to 19.

Aside from this, health authorities also discovered 132 more Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant cases, increasing the tally to 1,217.

Further, Beta variant cases in the country soared to 1,386, with 119 new ones.

The case tally for the Theta variant—or the P.3 variant, first detected in the Philippines—reached 166, with three additional cases.

The country has not yet detected the Lambda variant that is being compared by experts to the Delta variant as far as transmissibility is concerned.—LDF, GMA News