Protocol breach, increased mobility, variants behind COVID-19 surge in PH - DOH

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/03/16/20210305-pedestrians-covid_084727960_ios.jpg"/><figcaption>Pedestrians wear masks on their way to a bus station in Quezon City on March 5, 2021. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Breaches in health protocols, increased mobility of people and presence of different coronavirus variants are among the factors driving the sharp rise of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines, a health official said Tuesday.</p><p>&quot;In terms of transmission rate, there are breaches in the health protocols that we are implementing,&quot; Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, director of Department of Health&#x27;s disease prevention and control bureau, told ANC.</p><p>&quot;We can&#x27;t also discount that the variants have an effect on increase of transmission rate.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Also, you&#x27;ll see that because of the gradual opening up that we&#x27;ve been undertaking, we have seen there are more interaction, more mobility among the population that will inevitably drive the increased contact rates,&quot; she added.</p><p>On Monday, the Philippines recorded an additional 5,404 new COVID-19 cases, the fourth highest reported in a day since the pandemic started, raising the country&#x27;s tally to 626,893.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/15/21/ph-logs-5404-new-covid-19-cases-4th-highest-since-pandemic-started">PH logs 5,404 new COVID-19 cases, 4th highest since pandemic started</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1640641" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Last week, health authorities also confirmed a new COVID-19 variant first detected in the Philippines, calling it P.3.</p><p>&quot;Currently, it’s still labeled as not a variant of concern,&quot; Ho said. A virus is only considered a variant of concern if it has clinical significance.</p><p>Latest DOH data showed that the Philippines has recorded 98 P.3 cases. </p><p>Aside from the new variant, the country also detected the variants found in Brazil, South Africa and the UK.</p><p>The first case of the Brazil variant was discovered in a Filipino who had returned from the Latin American country.</p><p>So far, the Philippines has 117 cases of UK variant and 90 cases of South Africa variant.</p><p>The Philippine government has reintroduced tougher restrictions on movement in the capital region to curb of the spread of the novel coronavirus. </p>

<p>Breaches in health protocols, increased mobility of people and presence of different coronavirus variants are among the factors driving the sharp rise of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines, a health official said Tuesday.</p>

Breaches in health protocols, increased mobility of people and presence of different coronavirus variants are among the factors driving the sharp rise of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines, a health official said Tuesday.

Protocol breach, increased mobility, variants behind COVID-19 surge in PH - DOH | ABS-CBN

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Protocol breach, increased mobility, variants behind COVID-19 surge in PH - DOH

Protocol breach, increased mobility, variants behind COVID-19 surge in PH - DOH

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Published Mar 16, 2021 08:51 AM PHT

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Updated Mar 16, 2021 09:24 AM PHT

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