The Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) sent out an immediate clarification regarding reports circulating in social media that the new SARS-COV-2 is already in Metro Manila.
The two agencies said that at present, they have not detected the presence of the UK variant, or any new SARS-COV-2 variant, in any of the positive samples that were already tested. “The DOH and PGC are closely working together in order to intensify on-going biosurveillance efforts,” the message read.
The DOH also reiterated its call to the public to “refrain from disseminating unverified information which only serve to create panic and confusion.”
Likewise, the DOH urged the public that whether there’s a new variant or not, strict adherence to Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS) is still a must. “It is the best defense against COVID-19… and continue practicing MPHS across all settings to lower the rate of infection and reduce the risk of viral mutation.”