The Philippines had detected 678 new cases of COVID-19 variants, according to DOH.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said that the Philippines had detected 678 new cases of B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.3 COVID-19 variants.
According to the Department of Health, 678 new cases of COVID-19 variants were detected by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) and the University of the Philippines – National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH).
The agency said that the genome sequencing of 744 samples yielded an additional 289 cases of B.1.1.7 (United Kingdom) variant, 380 cases of B.1.351 (South Africa) variant, and 9 new cases of the P.3 COVID-19 variant first detected in the Philippines.
Those figures brought the totals to 948 cases of B.1.1.7 variant, 1,075 cases of B.1.351 variant, 157 cases of P.3 variant, and 2 cases of the P.1 variant.
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Among the new cases of B.1.1.7 variant, 185 were local cases, 48 were returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs), and 56 were still under verification.
Out of the 380 new cases of B.1.351 variant, 196 were local cases, 107 were returning overseas Filipinos, and 77 were still under verification.
Among the new cases of P.3 variant, 4 were local cases, 3 were returning overseas Filipinos, and 2 cases were still under verification.
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The health department stressed that unlike the B.1.351, B.1.1.7, and P.1 variants, the P.3 was “still not identified as a variant of concern” since current data was insufficient to determine whether the COVID-19 variant will have “significant public health implications”.
According to the DOH, 18.2% out of the 7,167 samples that had been subjected to genome sequencing so far tested positive for the B.1.351 variant, 2.7% had P.3 variant, 16% had the B.1.1.7 variant, and 0.03% had the P.1 variant.
“The DOH calls the public to strictly and consistently adhere to the minimum public health standards to minimize the risk of exposure and infection,” the DOH said in a statement.
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