WESTERN VISAYAS has recorded 38 cases of variants of concern and four cases of a variant under alert for monitoring as per result of the whole genome sequencing released by the University of the Philippines- Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) on July 28, 2021.
In a statement recently, Adriano Suba-an, Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD) regional director, said among the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) variants of concern were the 15 positive for the Alpha (B.1.17) and 23 for the Beta (B.1.351).
Four others tested positive for the P.3 (Theta) variant, classified as under “alert for monitoring” by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to “decreased and sporadic detection”. However, the locations of these four cases are still being verified.
“The Alpha and Beta variants, however, are classified as variants of concern due to its and Development (POPCOM) 6 Regional Director Harold Alfred P. Marshall discussed the uses and importance of updated population counts.
The latest population counts of the Philippines, its regions, provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays were officially declared by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte pursuant to Proclamation No. 1179, series of 2021 signed on July 6, 2021, and can be accessed or downloaded from the PSA website https://psa.gov.ph/population-and-housing.
