Good genomic surveillance plays a vital role to detect variants of concern (VOCs) like the recently discovered “Delta plus” variant in India, but an official of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) on Wednesday admitted that the country’s overall genomic coverage is low at less than one percent.
“We are a country of limited resources, and yet, nakakapag sequence naman tayo [We were able to do the genome sequencing],” said Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz, Director for the Genomics Health Program of the PGC during the Kapihan Session of the DOH.
In a week, De la Paz said that they were able to sequence 750 samples or less than one percent. The ideal rate is at least five percent.
She cited that sequencing in UK is high at 30 percent while the rate in US and Portugal is the same at 5 percent.
“We are not able to sequence enough yet,” she said.
To meet the gap, she said, they are doing what they call as “purposive sampling”.
Through this method, she explained, they use certain criteria to determine what samples should be sequenced. She said they use samples in areas where “surge in cases” and “severe population” are occuring.
De la Paz, meanwhile warned, that Delta plus, classified by India as “variant of concern” is potentially more transmissible.
She said that Delta plus possesses K417N mutation on its spike protein aside from the L452R, P681R, T478K, present in the original Delta variant.
Delta Plus variant has been detected in 22 samples across six districts in the country.
Meanwhile, Dr. Alethea De Guzman, Epidemiology Bureau Director of the DOH, reminded that the best weapon is still the compliance with health protocols amid the threat of the variants.
“As long as rate of transmission is high, risk of new mutations and variants of concern remains high, MPHS (minimum public health standards) plus PDITR (Prevention, Detection, Isolation, Treatment, and Reintegration ) plus vaccination remain effective in preventing and controlling transmission of variants of concern VOCs,” she said.
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