WHO: Studies show variant spreads more easily
JUST hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) variant of global concern, the Department of Health announced that two returning Filipinos were found to have been infected with the Indian (B.1.617) coronavirus variant, which was first detected in India.
In a hastily called online press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the two returning Filipinos are part of the 46 samples subjected to genome sequencing by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) among arriving Filipinos.
“Both have no history of travel to India, or did not come from India, nor did not pass through India,” Vergeire said.
The DOH made the announcement a few hours after the WHO declared the Indian variant as a variant of global concern, with some preliminary studies showing that it spreads more easily.
The B.1.617 variant is the fourth variant to be designated as being of global concern and requiring heightened tracking and analysis. The others are those first detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, infections of which have all been detected in the Philippines.
“We are classifying this as a variant of concern at a global level,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, told a briefing. “There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility.”
The WHO has said the predominant lineage of B.1.617 was first identified in India in December, although an earlier version was spotted in October 2020.
The variant has already spread to other countries, and many nations have moved to cut or restrict movements from India.
Van Kerkhove said more information about the variant and its three sub-lineages would soon be made available. “Even though there is increased transmissibility demonstrated by some preliminary studies, we need much more information about this virus variant and this lineage and all of the sub-lineages,” she said.
Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, said studies were under way in India to examine the variant’s transmissibility, the severity of disease it causes and the response of antibodies in people who have been vaccinated.
“What we know now is that the vaccines work, the diagnostics work, the same treatments that are used for the regular virus works, so there is really no need to change any of those,” Swaminathan said.
SEAFARERS
According to DOH – Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea De Guzman, the first Indian variant case was a 37-year old male sea-based overseas Filipino worker (OFW).
He arrived in the country last April 10 from Oman, and was tested April 15 while undergoing quarantine at a hotel in Metro Manila. The patient was able to recover last April 26, and was tested negative for COVID-19 in May 3.
De Guzman said the second case was a 58-year old male, also a sea-based overseas Filipino worker (OFW). He arrived in the country last April 19 from the United Arab Emirates, and was tested April 24 while undergoing quarantine in Clark.
The patient recovered May 6, and is currently asymptomatic.
De Guzman said the two have no close contacts as they were immediately placed under quarantine upon arrival as mandated under existing health protocols.
“When they arrived, we placed them in a quarantine facility, and, subsequently, in isolation facilities when they were tested positive. Thus, they have no known close contacts,” she said.
“And when they were released, they were asymptomatic and already tagged as recovered,” added De Guzman.
As to the five travelers with history of travel to India who earlier tested positive for COVID-19, Vergeire said only one has been sequenced so far.
“Only 1 was sequenced for this run and it has an A lineage. It means that it is not a variant of concern or a variant under investigation,” said the health official.
She said three others were found as not eligible for sequencing due to high cycle threshold (CT) value.
The last one, said Vergeire, is still set for sequencing with the PGC as part of the next batch.
The five are among the 155 travelers from India who were found positive for COVID-19 after their arrival in the country shortly after the Philippine government banned the entry of travelers from India or those who have a travel history to India.
The travel ban has been expanded to also include travelers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. — With Reuters
