Manila Bulletin
Creation of TWG on new COVID variants lauded
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has established a technical working group (TWG) composed of experts to monitor and identify new coronavirus variants in the Philippines.
This TWG, led by Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire and co-chaired by Philippine Council for Health Research and Development Executive Director Jaime Montoya, will advise the IATF on policy recommendations.
Lawmakers have welcomed the creation of the TWG, emphasizing the need for a scientific and effective approach to combat new COVID-19 variants.
The formation of the panel aligns with President Rodrigo Duterte's directive on December 26.
The Philippines has already implemented travel restrictions on 21 countries until January 15 to block the entry of a new variant first identified in the United Kingdom.
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A health expert is not ruling out the possibility of the presence of a new, more transmissible COVID-19 variant in the Philippines.
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The Department of Health (DOH) is monitoring three COVID-19 virus variants, including the variant identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Malaysia.
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The Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) have announced that the UK variant of COVID-19 has not yet been detected in the Philippines.
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The Department of Health (DoH) confirmed on January 2, 2021, that the new COVID-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom has not yet been found in the Philippines.
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A 30-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from Cagayan Valley, who works as a domestic helper in Hong Kong, tested positive for the UK COVID-19 variant.
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