UK COVID-19 variant 40% more transmissible

The transmission rate of the UK variant of COVID-19 is 40% higher than other variants, according to an official from the UP Philippine Genome Center.

Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-Dela Paz stated that while these variants are present in the country, they are not yet dominant based on genomic surveillance data.

The Department of Health's resident epidemiologist, Dr. John Wong, warned that if the UK variant becomes dominant in certain cities in NCR, cases could spike nine times higher within a month.

So far, 118 cases of the UK variant and 58 cases of the South African variant have been recorded in the Philippines.