Three Community Infection Cases Confirmed...Spread Already Estimated in the Philippines
South African Variant Reduces COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness...Health Authorities on Alert
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The South African (SA) variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected for the first time in the Philippines, raising concerns among health authorities. In addition to infected individuals returning from abroad, cases of community transmission have also been confirmed, suggesting that the variant has already spread widely.
According to foreign media including CNN on the 2nd, the Philippine Department of Health announced that the SA variant was detected in six COVID-19 positive cases reported that day. This is the first time the SA variant has been detected in the Philippines. Among them, two were confirmed to have recently returned from the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, while three were community transmission cases. The status of the remaining one case has not yet been confirmed.
The Philippine health authorities are concerned that the appearance of community transmission cases of the SA variant indicates that the variant has already spread significantly within the country. The SA variant is known to significantly reduce the efficacy of currently developed and marketed COVID-19 vaccines, prompting countries worldwide to intensify prevention efforts against this variant.
Additionally, the Philippine Department of Health reported that 30 new cases of the UK variant were confirmed, including 20 cases among overseas arrivals, bringing the total number of UK variant infections in the Philippines to 87. Efforts are underway to trace infection routes and prevent further spread.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health reported 2,037 new daily cases on the 1st, marking the fifth consecutive day with over 2,000 cases, indicating that the COVID-19 spread is not yet slowing down.
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