Expert reminds Filipinos on health protocols as study finds new variant of coronavirus spreads faster
MANILA, Philippines — A change in the novel coronavirus is making the virus spread faster, an infectious disease expert said as he urged the public to strictly follow minimum health protocols to prevent the country's healthcare system from getting overwhelmed.
Dr. Edsel Salvana, a member of the technical advisory group that advises the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force, said it is “very clear our overall cases are ramping up” even if some of the newly-added cases were from the DOH’s backlog.
He issued the statement after 2,434 COVID-19 cases—the biggest daily spike—were reported nationwide Sunday. This took the national caseload to 44,254.
The DOH attributed the spike in cases to “increased contact among the population” as the government further eased community quarantine measures.
“We’re getting hit with a double whammy of a more infectious virus and more opportunities and hosts for the virus to spread as we open up,” Salvana said on a Facebook post Sunday.
He added the virus is “about three to nine times” more infectious than the previous variant.
“We must all be meticulous with our compliance or [it’s] back to ECQ and many people will die from the virus or starve. No time for fighting among ourselves. Man versus virus. We can do this if we all work together,” Salvana said.
Mutation
According to a new study published in the journal Cell last week, a new mutation of the novel coronavirus makes it more infectious.
Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Duke University in North Carolina said a specific change in SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus virus genome is more infectious in cell culture.
They found the current variant—called “D614”—makes a small but potent change in the “spike” protein that protrudes from the surface of the virus, which it uses to enter human cells. Researchers called the new mutation “G614.”
The team analyzed the data of 999 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and observed that those infected with G614 had more viral particles in them.
“Our global tracking data show that the G614 variant in spike has spread faster than D614. We interpret this to mean that the virus is likely to be more infectious,” the team said.
They, however, did not find evidence of G614 impact on disease severity. In other words, it was not significantly associated with hospitalization status.
“These findings suggest that the newer form of the virus may be even more readily transmitted than the original form—whether or not that conclusion is ultimately confirmed, it highlights the value of what were already good ideas: to wear masks and to maintain social distancing,” Bette Korber, a theoretical biologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and lead author of the study, said in a release.
Salvana said that while there is no evidence that makes the new variant more deadly or virulent, its rapid spread can overwhelm the country’s healthcare system.
"It can lead to a higher number of overall deaths if we do not properly manage the number of infections. Wear a mask, physical distance and strictly follow minimum healthcare protocols," the infectious disease expert said.
"The virus levelled up. We have to level up as well," he added.
— Gaea Katreena Cabico with report from Agence France-Presse
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