PH 'ready' to face Deltacron variant—DOH
The Philippines is better prepared to face the Deltacron coronavirus variant, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.
DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje believes that the country is now more equipped in handling another variant of concern given its experiences in battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Based on our experience from the past and many experiences we have gathered throughout the response in the pandemic, we should be ready to face another variant of concern,” said Cabotaje in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel on Friday, March 11.
It was reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the Deltacron, a combination of the highly transmissible Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants, has been detected in some parts of Europe.
The data on the Deltacron is still limited at this time, said Dr. Rontgene Solante, head of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit of the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.
“Hindi pa ganoon kalawak kung ano ang behavior ng combination ng Delta at Omicron (The behavior of the Delta and Omicron combination is not yet known),” said Solante during a public briefing.
“If the Delta combines with Omicron, the Omicron has the more heavily mutation. So, titingnan natin anong mga mutation ito, kung ano ang mas madami (we will look at what and how many these mutations are),” he added.
Solante believes that the country’s current vaccination rate status will help fight the possible adverse effects of Deltacron.
“We are now at this point na madami na din na nabakunahan, so I think, humihina na din talaga ang severity ng virus (that many have already been vaccinated, so I think, the severity of the virus has already weaken), especially the younger population,” he said.
Covid-19 vaccines shelf-life extended
In a related development, Cabotaje reported some vaccine manufacturers said that the shelf-life of their respective Covid-19 vaccines can be extended. She said that some of the country’s Covid-19 vaccines were already nearing their expiration.
“You heard it from Secretary Duque about 12 to 13 million doses of AstraZeneca have been extended shelf life from the manufacturer and we are awaiting the concurrence of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) if they will approve this one,” said Cabotaje.
In a public briefing, FDA Director Oscar Guttierez said that his agency already approved the extension of shelf-life of “four batches” of AstraZeneca.
“There are also requests for approval of extension for Gamaleya being processed. We are also looking at some Pfizer and Moderna that may be extended,” said Cabotaje.
Some of these vaccines are set to expire this March or April, said the DOH official.