IATF creates task group on new virus variants

MANILA, Philippines — In compliance with President Duterte’s directive, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has created a technical working group or TWG to focus on monitoring and understanding the new variant of COVID-19, which originated from the United Kingdom.

The IATF yesterday approved Resolution 92, which created the Technical Working Group on COVID-19 Variants tasked “to monitor and identify the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 variants in the country.”

The TWG will also “provide policy recommendations to the IATF on the response against any variants of concern,” the resolution signed by IATF chairman Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and IATF co-chairman Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles read.

The body designated Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire as chair with Philippine Council for Health Research and Development executive director Jaime Montoya as co-chair.

Members include Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, Dr. Marissa Alejandria and Dr. Edsel Salvaña of the Department of Health-Technical Advisory Group; Dr. Celia Carlos, director of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine; Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-dela Paz, executive director of the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health; Dr. Cynthia Saloma, executive director of the UP-Philippine Genome Center and Dr. John Wong, founder of Epimetrics.

In his meeting with the IATF and scientific experts about the new variant shortly after Christmas Day, Duterte expressed concern over the possible entry of the coronavirus’ UK variant in the country.

While he was assured that there are mechanisms in place, Duterte formed the TWG to focus on the new variants to ensure that the government is prepared for handling them.

In its latest resolution, the IATF also tasked the DOH, Departments of Trade and Industry, Labor and Employment, Tourism, Interior and Local Government (particularly for local government units) and Information and Communications Technology; Office of the Presidential Spokesperson and the Presidential Communications Operations Office to work together in the fight against COVID-19.

“(The agencies) are directed to further strengthen their enforcement, monitoring and communication efforts or impose such other additional specific measures to mitigate the possible holiday surge of COVID-19 cases,” the resolution stated.

Following reports of new variants affecting many countries, Duterte ordered travel restrictions on all foreign travelers coming from Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain and the United States.