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PH gov&rsquo;t now monitoring 3 new COVID-19 variants

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Kristine Sabillo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA &mdash; The Department of Health on Friday announced that it is now checking if 3 new COVID-19 variants, including the United Kingdom variant, have entered the Philippines.&ldquo;Sa ngayon, meron na tayong 3 variant na binabantayan. Ito yung sa UK type na variant. Ito yung sa South Africa na variant and there was this identified na variant din dito sa Malaysia,&rdquo; Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a virtual briefing. (Right now we are monitoring 3 variants. This is the UK type variant, the South Africa variant and the variant identified in Malaysia.)It was previously reported that a new variant was found in Sabah, a territory claimed by both Malaysia and the Philippines. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/28/20/sulu-wants-to-suspend-return-of-filipinos-from-sabah-due-to-new-virus-variant">READ: Sulu wants to suspend return of Filipinos from Sabah due to new virus variant</a></li></ul>This resulted in a strict lockdown for nearby Sulu province. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/30/20/sulu-on-lockdown-jan-4-17-due-to-new-coronavirus-variant">READ: Sulu on lockdown Jan. 4-17 due to new coronavirus variant</a></li></ul>Vergeire said that the more than 300 samples that underwent gene sequencing for the UK variant &ldquo;were just initial.&rdquo; The earlier batch of samples did not yield the UK variant or the South Africa variant that is said to affect vaccine efficacy.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/06/21/no-new-covid-variant-detected-in-ph-gene-sequencing-shows-doh">READ: No new COVID variant detected in PH, gene sequencing shows &mdash; DOH</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/04/21/uk-scientists-reportedly-worried-vaccines-ineffective-on-safrican-coronavirus-variant">READ: UK scientists reportedly worried vaccines ineffective on S.African coronavirus variant</a></li></ul>&ldquo;This is a continuing surveillance system that we have established already,&rdquo; she said, adding that the agency has coordinated with regional offices to source samples from Mindanao and Visayas.&ldquo;We are appropriating funds to the Philippine genome center so that we can sustain this because this is important to our surveillance system,&rdquo; the official added.Asked if the Philippines is also monitoring the the variant from Nigeria, which is being closely studied by scientists as COVID-19 cases in the country increased, Vergeire said it should show up if there are any.

MANILA &mdash; The Department of Health on Friday announced that it is now checking if 3 new COVID-19 variants, including the United Kingdom variant, have entered the Philippines.

MANILA &mdash; The Department of Health on Friday announced that it is now checking if 3 new COVID-19 variants, including the United Kingdom variant, have entered the Philippines.

PH gov’t now monitoring 3 new COVID-19 variants

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PH gov’t now monitoring 3 new COVID-19 variants

Kristine Sabillo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 08, 2021 12:05 PM PHT

Read More:

COVID-19 variant

COVID-19 new variant

United Kingdom variant

Malaysia variant

Sabah variant

South Africa variant

Nigeria variant

Department of Health

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