MANILA-The Philippines on Saturday confirmed a new COVID-19 variant, the P.3, which was first detected in the country, with a total of 98 cases.
In a statement, the Department of Health also confirmed detection of the Brazil variant, the P.1, in a Filipino who had returned from Brazil.
The P.3 and P.1 variants belong to the same B.1.1.28 lineage.
The announcement on the P.3 variant was made almost a month after the DOH confirmed that “two mutations of possible clinical significance” - E484K and N501Y - were detected from samples in Central Visayas.
It is not yet proven, however, that the variant is more transmissible or may cause problems with vaccine efficacy.
The DOH said Saturday the initial detection of P.3 was made in 85 cases. A total of 13 more were later detected.
“Upon verification with the Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak Lineages (PANGOLIN), the said samples with these mutations have been reassigned to the P.3 variant, belonging to the B.1.1.28 lineage, to which the P.1 variant also belongs, “the DOH said.
It said the new variant is “not identified as a variant of concern as current available data are insufficient to conclude whether the variant will have significant public health implications.”
The samples where the variant was found were from the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu, and in Cebu province, which all detected increasing numbers of cases over recent weeks.
E484K and N501Y are both found in other variants of concern such as those in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil.
BRAZIL VARIANT
The first case of the Brazil variant was, meanwhile, found in a Filipino who had returned from the Latin American country. The DOH said “additional information about the case is currently being investigated.”
This variant was first detected in Japan among 4 travelers from Brazil, the DOH said.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is evidence to suggest that transmissibility and the ability of antibodies generated through previous infection is affected by some mutations of this variant,” it said.
It said, however, that correct and consistent compliance with minimum health standards “will prevent the transmission of these variants.”
“Further, the DOH strongly urges all local government units (LGUs) to facilitate and implement necessary interventions to mitigate the continued increase in the number of cases,” it said.
VIRUS MUTATIONS
Dr. Eva Dela Paz, executive director of the National Institutes of Health of the University of the Philippines, earlier explained that N501Y is a mutation in the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2.
In a simplified manner, Dela Paz said that the mutation changed the shape of the protein to make it easier for the virus to attach itself to a human being’s cells.
Meanwhile, E484K is called an “escape mutation” since it allows the virus to escape the body’s immune system. Because of these, some researchers fear that variants with the E484K mutation may make vaccines less effective, although scientists have said that vaccines should still offer some protection regardless of the variant, especially against severe cases of COVID-19.
A paper authored by Filipino researchers, including government experts, published on the medRxiv website March 6 discussed an “emergent variant characterized by 13-lineage-defining mutations.” The mutations include the N501Y, the E484K, and the P681H. The P681H is found in the spike protein of the UK variant.
The paper noted that the samples bearing the emergent variant “were collected mainly at a time and location that was experiencing a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases, raising the possibility of a more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variant as a potential cause.”
SAME LINEAGE
Before the government announcement, DOH technical advisory group member Dr. Edsel Salvana posted on Facebook that the so-called “Philippine variant” being observed in Cebu was already named P.3.
A Kyodo News report on Friday night also mentioned that Japan had detected a new coronavirus variant in a traveler from the Philippines.
The 60-year-old man arrived in Tokyo on February 25 and was asymptomatic. While the report did not identify or name the variant, it said that it “is thought to pose a similar level of threat” as that of the UK, South African and Brazil variants.
Variants are subtypes of a virus that are distinct but not that different from the original virus to be considered a new strain.
The Philippines recorded its highest daily count of COVID-19 cases so far this year on Friday, with a total of 4,578 new infections, also the highest in 6 months.
It now has a total of 611,618 cases.
- With a report from Kristine Sabillo, ABS-CBN News.