Philippine Genome Center Tests 12,00 Local COVID-19 Samples
PHILIPPINE GENOME CENTER – The national health body spoke on the new COVID-19 variant, “Mu”, which was first recorded in Colombia.
Undeniably, the COVID-19 pandemic is requiring an intensified fight now compared to when it started. The virus has mutated and several variants were detected in different nations.
Currently, the variant of interest is the Delta variant which was first logged in India. It is known to have faster transmissibility and was a huge factor in the spike of coronavirus cases in several nations.
The Philippines is one of the countries with confirmed cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19. There are local cases and as well as cases of returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs).
The Department of Health (DOH) previously confirmed local transmissions of the Delta variant of COVID-19. It also suspected community transmission in the National Capital Region (NCR) citing that the cases are not linked to each other.
To fight the spread of the Delta variant, the whole Metro Manila was previously placed under a two-week Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). Currently, the capital region is under Modified ECQ.
Unfortunately, amid the COVID-19 fight now, the mutation of the virus continues. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, another variant, Mu, was logged in Colombia. The Philippine Genome Center spoke about it.
According to the Philippine Genome Center, they tested 12,000 local samples of COVID-19 and, the new variant, the Mu, was not detected but it continues to monitor the entry of the said variant in the country.
Mu is currently a variant of interest. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), its mutations indicate a risk of COVID-19 vaccine resistance. Further studies need to be conducted on the said variant.
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