PH ‘very careful’ to control spread of India’s Covid variant

MANILA – The Philippine government remains “very careful” to control the further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) variant first detected in India.

This, after the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the detection of India’s Covid-19 variant in the Philippines.

In a virtual presser, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque assured the public that the government is exhausting all efforts to contain the spread of the Indian variant.

“Matindi naman po ‘yung ating pagiingat (We are being very careful),” Roque said. “Ginagawa natin ang lahat para po mapigilan ang pagpasok ng variant na ito (We are doing everything to stop the entry of this variant).”

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in a separate online press briefing, said at least two cases of India’s “double mutant” B.1.617 variant has been reported in the Philippines.

The two individuals infected with Covid-19 variant from India are both male overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Vergeire said.

One of the two patients is a 37-year-old OFW from Oman, while the other one is a 58-year-old OFW from the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Alethea De Guzman, director of the Department of Health’s Epidemiology Bureau, said the two B.1.617 variant-infected OFWs have no close contacts and already recovered from the coronavirus disease.

Roque said the country has not reported community transmission of the new variant from India.

Strict protocols for returning Filipinos

The Philippine government has imposed travel restrictions on travelers from India until May 14, to prevent the entry of the new variant that is responsible for New Delhi’s worst coronavirus outbreak.

The Philippines has expanded the coverage of the travel ban by also prohibiting travelers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to enter the country until May 14.

The Indian subcontinent covers India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, and the island nations of Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Returning Filipinos from India and Indian subcontinent where travel restrictions are currently implemented need to follow strict health and quarantine protocols, Roque said.

“So lahat po ng nais umuwi mula sa India, ipagbigay alam niyo lang po sa ating embahada at meron naman pong mga hakbang na ginagawa para ma-repatriate sila. Pero kapag narepatriate po sila, intindihin niyo po you will be subjected to very strict quarantine requirements (For those who want to return home from India, just tell the embassy and necessary measures are being undertaken for your repatriation. But you must understand that you will be subjected to very strict quarantine requirements),” he said.

All travelers who wish to enter the Philippines, including those who have already been inoculated against Covid-19, are required to undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine, based on Resolution 114 issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on May 6.

All arriving travelers must stay in a quarantine facility for 10 days and observe home quarantine in the last four days, according to the IATF-EID Resolution 114.

India’s Covid-19 variant has been dubbed as “double mutant” because it carries two mutations, E484Q and L425R.

Experts say the E484Q mutation is similar to the E484K mutation or the “escape mutation” which helps the virus get past the body’s immune system, while L452R is found to be an efficient spreader of the virus.

Prioritizing ‘total health’

Despite the detection of the Indian variant in the country, Roque said the government would continue to prioritize the country’s “total health,” Roque said.

“We are aiming for total health. Alam po natin na habang nakasarado ang ating ekonomiya, marami po talagang nahihirapan, maraming nagugutom (We recognize that while many will continue to suffer from poverty and hunger if we do not reopen further our economy),” he said.

Roque said the government aims to improve the country’s healthcare capacity and healthcare facilities rather than order the temporary shutdown of some businesses in the country amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Ito rin po ang dahilan kung bakit pinapataas po natin ang health care capacity at patuloy po nating patataasin iyan kasi whether or not there is a new Indian variant, mas mura po para sa ating bansa na mag-invest sa healthcare facilities kaysa isarado po ang ating ekonomiya (This is the reason why we are improving our healthcare capacity because whether or not there is a new Indian variant, it is more affordable for our country to invest in healthcare facilities instead of shutting down our economy),” he said.