THE Department of Health (DOH)-Central Luzon Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit is investigating the country’s first case of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) Kappa variant that was detected and recorded in Floridablanca, Pampanga.
On Monday, November 8, the DOH reported that a 32-year-old male from Floridablanca town was the first case of Covid-19 B.1.617.1 variant in the country.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the patient had mild disease severity and was marked recovered.
She added that the patient's sample was collected on June 2, 2021, and the patient was considered a local case.
“Further investigation is being done by our regional epidemiology and surveillance unit in order to gather more information on this case and there is strict monitoring of this case and the community,” she said.
During the DOH forum, Vergeire said the B.1.617.1 variant, formerly known as the Kappa variant, is a variant under monitoring as designated by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“It is a variant of interest but as of September 20, 2021, it was deescalated and is currently designated by the WHO as a variant under monitoring,” Vergeire said.
She added that during the time when the sample from the patient was collected, B.1.617.1 was still a variant of interest.
Kappa emerged from the same lineage as the Delta variant and was first detected in India in October 2020.
So far, the Philippines has a total of 5,982 cases of the feared Delta variant, which caused the upsurge of Covid-19 cases in the country.