"Of the 98 cases that we have detected to be positive for the P.3 variant, I think 80 percent were coming from Region 7," Dr. Alethea de Guzman of Department of Health's epidemiology bureau told ANC.
Health experts are now investigating the potential impact of the P.3 variant, which contains the N501Y and E484K mutations. E484K and N501Y mutations are both found in variants discovered in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. Variants are subtypes of a virus that are distinct but not that different from the original virus to be considered a new strain.
"Right now, that's also part of what we're studying. Again, one of the potential impacts of this variant is it increases transmissibility, meaning much like what we're seeing in countries like the UK," she said."Our attitude should be enhanced [and] should always be on the lookout because we don't want to become infected. We don't want this to become the predominant variants in the Philippines," De Guzman said.