MARY GRACE O. LEOPARDAS, MD,FPAFP
Department of Health-CHD 13

Background
• COVID-19 is the name of the “novel coronavirus” disease
• SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus that causes COVID-19
• Coronaviruses cause mild respiratory illnesses, such as the common cold
o Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
o Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
• COVID-19 is a new coronavirus disease
• Emerged from Hubei Province, China in December 2019

What You Need to Know about Variants
 Viruses constantly change through mutation
 new variants of a virus are expected to occur

Genomic Biosurveillance
Analysis of the genetic code of a virus:
 Done through whole genome sequencing (WGS)
 Monitors the mutations the virus acquires and how these mutations
affect its behaviour
 Mutations give rise to different variants

Genomic Biosurveillance in the Philippines
University of the Philippines - Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC)

Working Together on Biosurveillance
 IATF-MEID Task Force COVID-19 Variants
 DOH TAG members

What You Need to Know about Variants
World Health Organization
- has assigned simple, easy to say and remember labels for key variants of
SARS-CoV-2
- using letters of the Greek alphabet.

“

Variant of Concern (VOC)
global public health significance:
 Increased transmissibility
 Increased virulence or severity
 Increased hospitalization or death

Delta Variant (B.1.617.2)
 Has spread in at least 98 countries
 Highly transmissible –
Approximately 40-60% more transmissible
than the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7)
 Associated with increased hospitalization
 New COVID-19 cases reached a record high of 54,517 last July 14
 Up more than tenfold on the number of cases at the start of June

Is Delta variant more contagious?

Reproductive Number
A PATIENT WITH THE DELTA VARIANT CAN
INFECT UP TO 8 PEOPLE
-compared to the original “A” strain
(1-2 people)

Are vaccines still effective?
Yes!

Do COVID-19 vaccinations offer protection against the Delta variant?
Two jabs of the approved vaccines have been shown to
provide excellent protection from severe disease and
hospitalization against the Delta variant as well as
against other variants of concern

Will there be changes in the interventions we have now?
our strategies are
the SAME

■ Let us avoid unnecessary travels and social gatherings that
can be done online.
■ Let us also limit the number of visitors in our homes.
■ Let us not compromise our safety and the safety of our family.

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