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Acting Presidential spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Friday that the Philippine government is keeping an eye on the novel coronavirus strain B.1.1.529, which has already been linked to cases in South Africa.

Nograles noted during the Palace briefing that members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and the Department of Health (DOH) are well aware of the “heavily modified” version.

“We’re keeping an eye on the situation, and we’re keeping a close eye on it. Ang ginagwa nating ay patuloy pa rin po ang ginagwa nating ay patuloy pa rin po ang ginagwa nating ay patuloy pa rin po ang On the ground, we continue to do genetic surveillance “In an interview, Nograles stated.

He also stated that the administration is in close communication with the World Health Organization regarding the potential threat posed by the newly discovered variety.

“We’re waiting for their advice on whether this variety is regarded a variant of interest or a variant of concern,” Nograles explained.

In another interview, Dana Krizia Sandoval, a representative for the Bureau of Immigration, explained that once the IATF identifies the need to change the travel limitations caused by emerging Covid-19 variations, multiple systems are in place.

“Kapag may instruction po ang IATF na kailangan pong baguhin, promptly po kaya po nating i-implement, and we have sufficient staff naman po para tugunan po itong mga pangangailangan na ito,” she continued.

Sandoval stated that all entry and exit ports are carefully following health regulations and social distancing measures to ensure that tourists are safe while traveling through the immigration area.

According to a Bloomberg story published on Friday, experts believe the B.1.1.529 variation has a large number of mutations in its spike protein, which is important for the virus’s entry into cells.

Experts are still trying to figure out whether the new variation is more transmissible or fatal than earlier ones.

Prof Tulio de Oliveira, director of South Africa’s Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, told the BBC that the variant had a “unique constellation of mutations” and was “quite distinct” from other forms that had circulated.

“This variety did surprise us,” he remarked, according to an online post. “It has a tremendous leap on evolution [and] many more mutations than we expected.”

There have been 77 confirmed cases in South Africa’s Gauteng region, four cases in Botswana, and one in Hong Kong, all of which are linked to travel from South Africa.

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