DAVAO CITY, June 23 (PIA) – The Department of Health XI clarified in a letter sent to the Davao Oriental Provincial Government that reported variants specifically from the confirmed cases from the said province are not identified as variant of concerns.
This came after a news item released by the Mati City Information Office citing that variants taken from the confirmed cases from Davao Oriental are B.1, B.1.78 and A.4.
“The reported variants are not identified as variant of concerns because current data are insufficient to determine whether the variant will require more appropriate and specific health action,” DOH XI regional director Annabelle P. Yumang wrote in the letter.
The Davao Oriental Provincial Task Force COVID19 also issued a press release saying that there is no Brazilian variant detected in the province contrary to the news item released recently
Provincial Task Force-COVID19 Action Officer Dr. Reden Bersaldo said that “although there were variants which have been detected, these are from lineages of non-concern variants as per the guidelines of the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO).”
In the DOH data, the variants of concern are the United Kingdom or Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), South Africa or Beta variant (B.1.351), Brazilian or Gamma variant (PI), and India or Delta variant (B.1.617.2) while the variant of interest is Theta P.3.
The DOH confirmed that all of which are not present in the province of Davao Oriental.
However, Dr. Bersaldo emphasized that the absence of any variant of concern should not turn people to be complacent.
Instead, the official reiterated the importance of consistently adhering to the minimum public health standards so as to avoid infection. (PIA XI/Frances Mae Macapagat)
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