MANILA, Philippines — The more contagious UK variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has so far been detected in six regions in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.
Data from the DOH showed that there had been a total of 23 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant in the Cordillera Administrative Region, consisting of 18 cases in Bontoc, Mountain Province, one case in Sabangan, Mountain Province, and four cases in La Trinidad, Benguet.
Meanwhile, there are three cases so far in Davao Region, composed of one case each from New Bataan and Compostela in Davao de Oro and Davao City.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Calabarzon has recorded two cases: one in Tanauan, Batangas, and another in San Mateo, Rizal.
Northern Mindanao has reported one case, specifically in Impasugong, Bukidnon.
The DOH said Central Visayas also has one case detected from a resident of Liloan, Cebu.
However, the DOH-Region 7 earlier said that the man has not been able to go to his hometown before testing positive for Covid-19 and that he has been in Metro Manila in recent months. The DOH main office said the concerned City Epidemiological Surveillance Unit has yet to determine if the source of infection is Cebu or Metro Manila.
Metro Manila also has one case in Pasay City.
There have been a total of 62 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant in the country based on the latest report of the health department.
Of the 62 individuals, 30 that were not classified under the said regions are returning overseas Filipino workers (ROFs).
On February 16, the DOH reported that only three of the then 44 confirmed cases of the virus variant in the country remain to be active cases: an ROF from the United Arab Emirates, a local case from Sabangan, Mountain Province, and another local case from Bukidnon province.
READ: DOH: 40 of 44 people with UK variant recover from Covid-19
On Sunday, the DOH reported additional 18 cases of the variant, which raised the figure to 62. Of the 18, 13 are ROFs who have already recovered, three are recovered cases from CAR, and two others are being verified if they are local cases or ROFs, and one is an arriving foreign national.
Only one fatality among the 62 total cases has so far been reported, an 84-year-old man from La Trinidad, Benguet, who died on January 24.