DOH confirms another South African Covid-19 variant case in Pasay City

MANILA, Philippines — One of the six cases of the South African variant of SARS-CoV-2 was also confirmed to be from Pasay City, bringing to four the number of variant cases in the city, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

“Anim po lahat, apat dito ay galing sa mga residente mula sa Pasay City at dalawa po ay mga returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) galing UAE and Qatar,” Dr. Alethea de Guzman, a medical specialist at the DOH Epidemiology Bureau, said in a media forum.

(There are six total cases, four involve Pasay City residents and two are returning overseas Filipinos from the UAE and Qatar.)

The DOH earlier said that of the six cases of the South African variant B.1.351, three are residents of Pasay City and two are ROFs, while the other patient is being verified if he is a local case or an ROF.

According to DOH, there are 48 countries with reported cases of the B.1.351 variant of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid- 19.

“While there is no evidence that this variant causes more severe disease, the pattern of mutations within this variant suggests higher transmissibility and may have an impact on vaccine efficacy,” the DOH earlier said.

/MUF