PHL detects variant blamed for COVID-19 surges

THE PHILIPPINES on Tuesday said it had detected a variant believed to have spurred COVID-19 infection waves in other countries, including Singapore.

The Department of Health (DoH) said the country had detected two cases of KP.2, 30 cases of JN.1, and two cases of JN.1.18, citing recent sequencing data by the University of the Philippines – Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC).

KP.2 and KP.3 variants, which are both descendants of JN.1, are nicknamed in other countries as “FLiRT” to describe amino acid changes in the COVID-19 virus’ spike protein.

“It may be likely that there are earlier KP.2 cases, but because of limited sequencing we have not detected and reported this earlier,” the DoH said.

DoH said the earliest sample collection date for JN.1 in the Philippines was November 2023. For KP.2, it was May 2024.

It said JN.1.7, JN.1.18, KP.2 and KP.3 are all considered variants under monitoring.

“Their detection along with the slow increase in the number of new cases and the plateau in number of occupied COVID-19 beds aligns with the international observation that the new variants under monitoring continue to be clinically mild and manageable,” DoH said.

All Philippine regions remained at low risk from COVID-19 as of May 27, and the DoH said it “still does not see any need for travel restrictions.”

Travel curbs “may impair the flow of other essential health goods and services,” it added.

DoH said there was an average of 319 cases daily from May 21 to 27, higher than the previous week’s 202 but is still fewer than around 500 per day at the start of this year.

It was also fewer than the about 1,750 per day in the middle of May last year, it added.

“The average number of daily reported severe, critical, and ICU COVID-19 admissions as of May 27 is much less than its level in the middle of May 2023,” it said, adding that 22 out of the new cases reported from May 21 to 27 were severe or critical.

DoH said it had logged 20 deaths related to COVID-19, five of which occurred in the last two weeks.

It said only 14% or 174 out of 1,235 of intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients had been occupied as of May 27. It added that 15% or 1,601 out of 10,910 COVID-19 beds had been used.

“Severe and critical COVID-19 cases admitted in various hospitals total to only 185 or 10% of total admissions, based on hospital reports in the DoH Data Collect application,” it added. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza