Philippines reports first cases of COVID-19 South African variant

2/3/2021 14:41

        The Philippines has documented six cases of the South African coronavirus variant, its health ministry said, raising concern among its experts that the current vaccines might be less effective.
        
        The Philippines started its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Monday, an important milestone for a country among the hardest hit by the pandemic in Asia, but the discovery of another variant could complicate its recovery effort.
        
        The health ministry said in a statement, "While there is no evidence that this variant causes more severe disease, the pattern of mutations within this variant suggests higher transmissibility and may have an impact on vaccine efficacy."
        
        Of the six cases with the South African variant, three were detected locally and two were Filipinos returning from overseas. The origin of the other case was still being verified.
        
        The Philippines has so far found 87 cases with the more transmissible variant.