This undated transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, also known as novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S. NIAID-RML/Handout via REUTERS.
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday reported the Philippines’ first case of the P.1 COVID-19 variant from Brazil.
The DOH said that the case involves a returning overseas Filipino (ROF) from Brazil.
The person infected with the P.1 variant is from Western Visayas, the DOH added.
“Additional information about the case is currently being investigated,” the DOH said.
P.3 variant
The DOH also confirmed the new COVID-19 variant, P.3, which was detected in Japan in a traveler from the Philippines.
This variant, the DOH said, belongs to the B.1.1.28 lineage, to which the P.1 variant also belongs.
The DOH added that it has detected 98 cases of the P.3 variant— of which 85 of these were previously identified having as “mutations of possible clinical significance” as E484K and N501Y mutations.
But the DOH added that the P.3 variant is not a “variant of concern,” saying that current available data “are insufficient to conclude whether the variant will have significant public health implications.”
More cases of UK, South African variants
The DOH also confirmed the detection of 59 more cases of the B.1.1.7 variant from the United Kingdom, and 32 cases of the B.1.351 variant first detected in South Africa.
This brings the country’s total to 177 cases of UK variants, and 90 cases of the South African variant.
Of the new cases, 16 are from the Cordillera Administrative Region, 10 are from Metro Manila, two are from Central Luzon and two from the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region.
Meanwhile, the 32 new South African variant infections consist of 21 local cases—19 of which were detected in Metro Manila, one in Cagayan Valley and one in Northern Mindanao.
One of the new South African variant cases is an ROF, while 10 are still being verified as to location, the DOH said.