The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) committed Monday, Feb. 22, its continued support to the biosurveillance efforts of the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime C. Montoya said they are taking active role in strengthening the government’s biosurveillance efforts.
“Tayo po ang nagpondo ng biosurveillance na ginagawa po ng Philippine Genome Center para makita po ang ating mga variants sa ating bansa (We have funded the biosurveillance being conducted by the Philippine Genome Center to detect the variants in the country),” he said during the televised “Laging Handa” press briefing Monday.
“Tayo po ay patuloy na sumusuporta dyan kasama ang ating Department of Health para masubaybayan natin ang pagkakaron ng bagong variants pero kung magkarooon man ay makita natin kung saan po ito at para ito’y maagapan natin ay magawan ng karampatang programa (We continue to support that together with the Department of Health to monitor the new variants if there will be so that we can determine its whereabouts and to prevent them by implementing appropriate programs).”
Montoya made the pledge, a day after Department of Health (DOH) logged 18 new cases of the more transmissible B.1.1.7 or the United Kingdom variant of COVID-19 virus. The new cases brought the total cases in the country to 62.
The DOH said that 13 of the new cases were Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) who entered the country between Jan. 3 to 27, 2021.
Three other B.1.1.7 cases were from the Cordillera Administrative Region, the DOH said. While, the two other cases were “currently being verified if these are local cases or Returning Overseas Filipinos,” it said.
The DOH also reported three more COVID-19 cases detected with potentially significant mutations were found in Central Visayas. This brought the total number of COVID-19 cases with mutations of “potential clinical significance” to 34.