New cases of UK, South African variants detected in PH
Thirty new cases of the B117, or the so-called United Kingdom variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) have been detected in the country, alongside the first six cases of the B1351 or the South African variant and two cases with mutations of interest, the Department of Health said on Tuesday.
The new cases were part of the eighth batch of 350 samples sequenced by the Philippine Genome Center in the past week.
The B1351 variant, which is said to have a higher transmissibility and has a potential impact on vaccine efficacy, was detected in three local cases in Pasay City, two returning Overseas Filipinos from United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and one unverified person.
Two of the Pasay cases are active and are being managed by the city, while the last one, a 40-year-old male, has recovered.
Separately, 30 new cases of the UK variant were reported, which include 20 returning Filipinos from the Middle East, Singapore, and the United States; three local cases from the Cordillera Administrative
This puts the total number of B117 cases at 87.
Two samples from the Central Visayas region have also been detected with mutations of interest, the N501Y and the E484K mutations that is also attributed with higher infection rate.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is yet no evidence of possible community transmission of these variants.