MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine Genome Center official on Tuesday reported that the Theta variant of COVID-19 which was first seen in the country has been reclassified and is no longer a "variant of interest."
The World Health Organization first named it as a VOI in March, but now considers it a variant under "alerts for monitoring," according to Dr. Eva Cutiongco-Dela Paz.
"A previously designated VOI or variant of concern," she said in a briefing, "which has conclusively demonstrated to no longer pose a major added risk to global public health compared to other circulating variants can be reclassified."
Genome sequencing had showed there were 166 cases of the Theta variant or the P.3 in the Philippines as of July 4.
Health authorities then said there was one active case, with 163 recoveries and two deaths.
Cutiongco-Dela Paz added that the WHO's move came after a decrease in reported detection of Theta cases across the globe.
Some 269 sequences were uploaded to the GISAID, or the global initiative on sharing all influenza data on July 6, she said.
But 71% or 191 of this were reported in the Philippines, which were mostly from the Central Visayas region.
"There have only been sporadic detections or small clusters of cases that have been reported globally," Cutiongco-Dela Paz said, "[which] justify its classification."
Still, she added that the WHO allows countries to continue designating variants as either of "local interest" or of "local concern."
The Philippines, like other countries, has moved to halt the entry of travelers from select nations to keep away more cases of COVID-19 variants.
Authorities have so far detected 19 cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant, which was first identified in India.
All cases have since recovered, and the PGC official said there remains no local cases of the Delta to date.
"But we still need to remain vigilant and practice minimum public health standards," Cutiongco-Dela Paz added.