CEBU, Philippines — Up to 67 samples from COVID-19 patients in Central Visayas have been confirmed to have the two “mutations with potential clinical significance” (MPCS) of the coronavirus, the E484K and N6501K.
The Department of Health (DOH)-7 has sent 361 samples from the region to the Philippine Genome Center for genetic sequencing and results were released on February 19, March 3, and March 10.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief pathologist and spokesperson of DOH-7, said Saturday that they have not received official notification from the PGC or the DOH Central Office just yet that the new findings can be identified as the new Philippine variant, the P.3.
“To date, we await the official notification from PGC and central office if all these are labeled as P.3 variant - Brazilian lineage… let’s just call our mutations as MPCS,” Loreche said.
This developed as Dr. Anna Lisa Ong-Lim, member of DOH Technical Advisory Group, confirmed during the Laging Handa Public Forum the presence of the new Philippine variant, which was detected on a traveler from the Philippines.
She said, though, that there is not enough data to show if the variant is more infectious or is more potent.
“Wala pa tayong sapat na datus kung nakakahawa ba siya or naka cause ba nang malubhang sakit or meron bang association with a higher mortality rates. We are still observing the impact of this particular variant,” Ong-Lim said.
Loreche said the P.1 (Brazilian variant) and the P.3 (Philippine variant) have the same mutations namely E484K and N501Y, both mutations of concern.
“It has been said that E484K is associated with increase in transmissibility while N501Y might be associated with the COVID-19 virus’s impact on the antibodies thus may affect the effectiveness of the current vaccines,” Loreche said.
She said, however, that manufacturers and scientists behind the COVID-19 vaccines have assured that the vaccines can still be effective against the existing variants.
The DOH has since said that viruses mutate all the time as a way for it to survive. The World Health Organizations (WHO) said mutation refers to the actual change in the virus genetic sequence and may result in the virus being more transmissible, increase in disease severity or influence efficacy of diagnostics or vaccines.
Lorecehe said they started bio-surveillance in Central Visayas sometime in January when they noticed rising numbers and clustering of cases.
“It is possible but let’s wait for concrete data analytics,” she said when asked if the continued rise in cases in the region can be attributed to P.3.
Data from DOH-7 as of March 12, 2021 showed that Central Visayas has a total of 6,745 active cases, of which 2,789 are from Cebu City; 1,377 are from Cebu Province; 1,126 are from Lapu-Lapu City; 1,099 are from Mandaue City; 277 are from Bohol Province; 122 are from Negros Oriental; and five are from Siquijor.
New variant in PHL
Philippine health authorities said Sunday that the new coronavirus variant in the country is not a variant of concern even if it carries two mutations, which have shown to increase transmissibility and dodge some antibodies.
The new variant, which carries a unique set of mutations is called the P.3 variant and belongs to the B.1.1.28 lineage, like the variant first seen in Brazil called P.1.
DOH and PGC previously detected 85 cases of this variant, and that an additional 13 have been found, bringing the total number of P.3 cases in the country to 98.
Health authorities said that all current available data is insufficient to conclude whether the variant will have significant public health implications, despite carrying both the E484K and N501Y mutations.
These two mutations are present in the coronavirus variants first identified in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351) and Brazil (P.1), which are all classified as “variants of concern” due to their increased risk to human health.
All three variants carry the N501Y mutation, which is associated with increased transmissibility, while B.1.351 and P.1 carry the E484K mutation, which may help the virus dodge some antibodies.
Prior to the announcement of the DOH that it has detected a new coronavirus variant unique to other variants previously detected in the country, Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases said it found a new variant from the B.1.1.28 lineage from a traveler from the Philippines who arrived at Narita Airport near Tokyo last February 25.- JMO (FREEMAN)