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Nasal swab A healthcare worker performs a swab test. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines – There is not yet a confirmed case of the new variant of the novel coronavirus in the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday.
But DOH said genome sequencing of COVID-positive samples from patients who came from countries with confirmed cases of the new variant will only begin on January 4.
“This is to clarify that as of January 2, 2021, the Genome Center of the Philippines has not detected the UK variant in the country. All RT-PCR positive samples from countries with a confirmed UK variant will undergo genome sequencing as of Monday, January 4, 2021, ”DOH said in a statement.
The health department issued the statement following the Octa Research Group hypothesis that the new strain of the virus could already be in the Philippines, after Singapore confirmed that it had been detected in a patient.
Octa is an independent group that analyzes pandemic data and publishes its own forecasts.
Several countries in Southeast Asia have confirmed that the new variant, believed to be more infectious, has reached their shores.
Taiwan detected the variant of the coronavirus in late December, while Vietnam confirmed its first case of the variant on Saturday. (See story on page A9).
On Saturday, DOH reported 1,097 new cases of COVID-19 in the country, bringing the total case count to 476,916.
The DOH, however, said the number was unusually low due to the “temporary unavailability” of the agency’s COVID-19 Document Repository System on Friday, prompting 15 labs not to submit results.
But the DOH said the problem had since been resolved.
The DOH also reported five new deaths, bringing the death toll to 9,253. Meanwhile, 47 new recoveries were recorded, bringing the total of survivors to 439,942.
Of the total cases, 27,721 remain active.
For more news on the new coronavirus, click here.
What you need to know about the coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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