Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17) — The COVID-19 cases in Tuguegarao City may be increasing because of the B.1.17 variant first reported in the United Kingdom, the Department of Health said on Monday.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Philippine Genome Center found nine people from Tuguegarao City with the B.1.17 variant in the latest genome sequencing.
“Nakakuha tayo ng nine individuals na may UK variant and this might explain why cases are increasing in Tuguegarao,” she said in a media briefing.
[Translation: We found nine individuals with the UK variant. This might explain why cases are increasing in Tuguegarao.]
As of May 16, the city had 732 active cases. Based on DOH data, the city has seen an increase in infections, which started at the end of March.
Tuguegarao City health officer Dr. James Guzman said the variant could have driven the surge back in April. However, he said the rise in cases in the city is slowly going down.
The average daily attack rate or the number of individuals per 100,000 population getting infected is down to 35 for May 3 to 16, from 61 in April 19 to May 2.
“It could have been the driver for the past three or four weeks, kasi talagang grabe kami nung previous one and a half months na talagang mataas ang (cases) namin…There was even a time pinakamataas namin is 138 cases. Ngayon 22, 34 naglalaro,” Dr. Guzman said.
[Translation: Over the past one and a half months, our cases was really high. There was a time we reached an all-time high of 138 cases. Now it’s hovering at 22 to 34 new infections daily.
Guzman said intensified contact tracing and targeted testing helped them contain the infection.
The city is opening three isolation facilities with 300 beds this week. However, like in most cities and municipalities, Guzman said they are still facing a shortage of health workers, so the PNP and BFP are also sending them nurses.
“If we can address the issue on manpower, then we can operate those facilities. Ang kulang ho [What we lack] is manpower,” he said.
The DOH has advised regional surveillance officers to collect and send more samples for analysis, especially from the areas with high percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 infection. This includes Palawan, Nueva Vizcaya, South Cotabato and Misamis Oriental.
Vergeire said this could determine whether or not a new variant is driving the surge in these provinces.
