Lambda COVID-19 variant had not yet detected in the Philippines, according to Vergeire.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Tuesday said that the Philippines had not yet detected the Lambda COVID-19 variant that was being compared by experts to the Delta COVID-19 variant as far as transmissibility was concerned.
Vergeire said in an interview on Unang Balita that the Department of Health (DOH) was already aware of the Lambda variant that was first detected in Peru last December 2020.
Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), Vergeire said that Lambda COVID-19 variant was considered as a “variant of interest”.
According to Vergeire, there were no studies yet showing that the Lambda COVID-19 variant, although believed to be as transmissible as the Delta and Alpha COVID-19 variants, can cause a more severe coronavirus infection.
Like in the case of the other COVID-19 variants, Vergeire said that strict border control was needed in order to avoid the Lambda COVID-19 variant from entering the Philippines.
GMA News Online reported that some 30 countries have reported cases of the new coronavirus strain so far.
READ ALSO: No Local Cases Of Delta COVID-19 Variant In PH So Far, Says Expert
On Monday, the Department of Health said that two more cases of the Delta COVID-19 variant were detected in the Philippines, both from returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) from Saudi Arabia. Those new cases raised the total Delta COVID-19 variant cases in the country to 19.
The Department of Health also said that there were still no local infections of the Delta COVID-19 variant.
“‘Yung Delta variant are still being detected at our borders. Sa tingin natin ay nagiging maayos ang protocol natin because we are able to capture them sa pagpasok pa lang ng bansa. Ang may local transmission lang dito sa bansa would be Alpha and Beta variants,”Vergeire also said on Unang Balita on Tuesday.
Vergeire thus urged continued strict monitoring at points of entry.
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