More infectious COVID-19 variant a 'minor' mutation, should be monitored: expert | ABS-CBN

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More infectious COVID-19 variant a 'minor' mutation, should be monitored: expert

More infectious COVID-19 variant a 'minor' mutation, should be monitored: expert

Gillan Ropero,

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated Aug 18, 2020 11:05 AM PHT

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MANILA - The more infectious COVID-19 variant found in the Philippines last month is a "minor mutation" but monitoring it is important as scientists race to discover a vaccine, an infectious disease expert said Tuesday.

The Philippine Genome Center said it detected in July the G614 variant "in a small sample of positive cases" in Quezon City.

The variant is easier to transmit as it makes itself easier to attach to a human host, said Dr. Rontgene Solante, head of adult infectious diseases in San Lazaro Hospital.

"(Is) this mutation significant enough to cause more severe infection, more mortalities? That we don’t know yet at this point in time," he told ANC.

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"In terms of treatment, we will still continue to be aggressive in our management whether there is mutation or not since there are not drugs that are really seen to be effective against this virus."

Monitoring the virus' mutations is important as these can "change up the targets" of vaccines being developed.

"For now since the mutation is occurring in the area of virus where it attaches itself, I don’t think it will cause significant alteration in terms of this virus escaping the production of antibody produced by vaccine because that’s only a minor mutation," he said.

Meantime, a phase 3 clinical trial is needed in the Philippines for the Russian COVID-19 vaccine to evaluate its efficacy and safety, Solante said.

"We would really like this vaccine before being introduced to the market and being given to most of Filipinos, we need also to conduct phase 3 clinical trial in our setting to really evaluate its efficacy and safety when it is given," he said.

"That is what we require. As much as possible, we should have a local clinical trial."

The Philippines as of Monday reported 164,474 cases of COVID-19, with 112,759 recoveries and 2,681 deaths.

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