Task Force to lead efforts to determine if variant B.1.1.7 has already entered PHL
(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte directed the creation of another Task Force, this time, composed of medical experts and scientists directed at studying the new emerging COVID-19 virus strains or variants that are said to be more infectious than before.
In his meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Saturday night, Dec. 26, Duterte observed how there is still little knowledge about the United Kingdom variant B.1.1.7 which scientists said was rapidly evolving.
It was first discovered in the UK and has since been detected in several other countries and territories in Europe (France, Spain, and the Western Pacific region such as in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.
The 75-year old Philippine president was seen wearing a face mask and a face shield at the start of the meeting, but took these off in the middle of the meeting as he spoke, saying he was finding it hard to speak as he made announcements.
-No time to be complacent-
Duterte said that at this point, there is a need to gather more data and evidence about the evolving new SARS-CoV-2 variant that is said to be 70 percent more infectious than previous strains.
He stressed that this is no time to be complacent about it as more countries reported a spike in virus cases amid the holidays.
“I think we should not really be complacent about it,” the President said.
“We should treat it as a deadlyy disease that could be entering the Philippines.”
Duterte said that the new Task Force to be created should “ideally” be composed of experts in the medical field.
This Task Force would study the variant B.1.1.7, to determine its transmissibility, virulence, and to help guide the government on what to do to prevent it from entering the country. The Task Force would also be tasked in determining if this variant has already entered the country.
“Ideally it should be only medical persons na nakatutuok talaga dyan sa bagong strain whether or not it is here or not, or whether it is virulent,” the President varsaid.
Medical experts suggested the strengthening of the country’s “bio-surveillance system” in monitoring, collecting and studying COVID-19 samples in the country to determine its sequencing. This is in order to detect if the variant B.1.1.7 has already entered the country.
The experts, along with the Department of Health, also suggested capacitating the sub-national laboratories do do bio-banking of COVID-19 samples so that these could be studied to determine the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 that had been first detected in Britain.
So far, the Philippines has already imposed a travel ban on flights to and from the United Kingdom effective Dec. 24 to 31, 2020 and the strict 14-day quarantine of passengers or travellers who came from the UK before December 24.
Attending the IATF meeting on Saturday night with the President were members of the Cabinet led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana; vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Ano, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles, and Press Secretary Harry Roque.
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go was also present in the meeting.
-Medical experts in IATF meeting-
Invited medical experts include Dr. Marissa M. Alejandria, Member of the Technical Advisory for COVID-19 (TAG); Dr. Marc Edsel C. Ayes, Laboratory Manager of the UP-Philippine Genome Center (PGC); Dr. Celia C. Carlos, Director of the Department of Health (DOH)-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine; Dr. Althea de Guzman, Medical Specialist of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau; Dr. Rolando Enrique D. Domingo, Director General of the DOH-Food and Drug Administration; Dr. Nina Gloriani, Head of the Vaccine Development Expert Panel and Professor of the UP College of Public Health; Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, Special Adviser of the NTF-COVID-19; Dr. Jodor A. Lim, Lead Expert in the Clinical Trials for Vaccines and Member of the UP-Philippine General Hospital Division of Infectious Diseases; Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, Executive Director of the DOST-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development; Dr. Anna Lisa T. Ong-Lim, Member of TAG; Dr. Cynthia Palmes-Saloma, Executive Director of the UP-PGC; Dr. Mario M. Panaligan, Immediate Past President of the PSMID anfd Vice President of the Philippine College of Physicians; Dr. Katherine Ann V. Reyes, Associate Dean for Research of the UP College of Public Health; Dr. Camilo C. Roa, Jr., Pulmonary Medicine of the Manila Doctors Hospital; Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana, Member of the TAG; Dr. Ofelia P. Saniel, Professor Emeritus of the UP College of public Health Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Dr. Rontgene M. Solante, Chairman of the Adult Infectious Disease Tropical Medicine of the San Lazaro Hospital; and Dr. Socorro B. Zarate-Escalante, Coordinator of the World Health Organization.
(Eagle News Service)
