The Department of Health (DOH) is scheduled to submit its data regarding the two newly detected mutations of coronavirus disease in the Philippines to the World Health Organization (WHO) for an extensive study, according to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Vergeire said during an interview on GMA that their current data on mutations E484K and N501Y in SARS-CoV-2 virus will also be sent to the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GSAID).
“Ang gagawin po natin, isusumite po natin sa GSAID, which is an international system, ito pong ating mga detection, and also to WHO, so that they can better classify what type of variant are these,” she said.
“That’s why we want to make sure, that’s why we are asking the help of WHO by submitting to them so that they can also tell us if these are really the mutation that will cause harm to our public,” she added.
DOH Region 7 earlier announced that the Philippine Genome Center (PCG) detected the two new coronavirus mutations in Cebu.
DOH 7 spokesperson Dr. Mary Jean Loreche said 37 of 50 samples sequenced by the PCG manifested the mutations E484K and N501Y in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
She added that a co-occurrence between the two mutations also happened on 29 out of the 50 samples.
“These two mutations of concern are actually of global concern also. Hindi siya atin lang talaga. This is of global concern because, apparently, these are the mutations that are related to increased transmissibility,” she added in a briefing. Ronald dela Cruz