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Thursday, June 3, 2021

South African Covid-19 variant now in Zambo!

IN A report by the Wall Street Journal in April 12, it said a fast-spreading strain of the coronavirus, first discovered in South Africa, has been detected in at least 60 countries, including the U.S.

(WebMD)

The variant, it added, appears to make some Covid-19 vaccines less effective and has raised concerns that people who already had the disease could get it again from the new strain.

Now, the Department of Health (DOH) in the Philippines announced on May 30 that it has detected the same South African Covid-19 (B.1.351) variant in Zamboanga City and warned the public that it is “one of the most virulent variants” today. The DOH also said in March that the U.K. variant was also present in Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte after two overseas Filipino workers returned home in February infected with it.

The Wall Street Journal report further quoted South African researchers as saying that B.1.351 may be around 50% more contagious, based on the much faster rate of Covid-19 transmission since its emergence and biological studies of changes to the structure of the virus, which appear to make it easier for it to attach to and infect human cells.

And that’s not all because according to the report, the results from human clinical trials and laboratory tests released so far suggest that some of the current Covid-19 vaccines may not work as effectively against the South African variant. But the World Health Organization and other experts said that weakened vaccines should still provide protection against serious illness and death, even if they cannot prevent all Covid-19 symptoms.

South Africa decided not to use the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca PLC after a small clinical trial there found that the shot did not protect recipients from mild and moderate Covid-19. It has also said that it does not believe that a vaccine developed by Novavax Inc., for which a clinical trial in South Africa also showed significantly reduced efficacy, was fit for use in the country, according to the Wall Street Journal report.

It said data on other vaccines, including those made by Johnson & Johnson, Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. has been more encouraging, although laboratory tests for those have also shown that the triggered antibody response was somewhat weaker against the South African variant. Several drug makers, including Moderna and Pfizer, are already testing updated versions of their vaccines to better target the B.1.351 strain.

With the South African variant in Zamboanga City and more likely elsewhere in the country, the DOH has urged the public to strictly comply with the minimum health standards such as wearing of face mask and face shield in public places and the frequent washing of hands and maintain physical distancing as well.

The same call was also made by Mayor Beng Climaco, head of the local Covid-19 task force. “The City Government reiterates its call to the public for stricter and religious observance of the health and safety protocols and stricter implementation of quarantine protocols to stem the Covid transmission and slow down virus mutations,” she said. 

Climaco said the local government, in coordination with DOH and Interior Department, has intensified its contact tracing to further slowdown the community transmission of the deadly respiratory disease. 

But despite the presence of the new Covid-19 variant and probably other mutations since genomic sequencing continues, many residents remain complacent and others do not believe such virus exist. And many more even cast doubts on the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines and believing it would kill them if not sooner, later. 

Fake news and false information from social media added to their fear of the vaccines. One such news claimed that Covid-19 vaccines contain Nano materials such as magnet and microchips and even a tracker that forced the DOH to issue a public notice, saying: “Hindi naglalaman ng magnets, microchips, at trackers ang mga bakuna. The Department of Health reminds the public to always verify information available online with legitimate sources.” 

Zamboanga City now has over 2,000 active Covid-19 cases and more than 400 deaths due to the virus since the pandemic began early last year. 

Climaco has repeatedly appealed to residents to register and get vaccinated against Covid-19. “We have requested for more vaccines because Zamboanga City has been identified as one of the priority areas of concern in the country. Take this opportunity because it will be an added layer of protection against covid,” she said. 

“So we appeal to our residents to have themselves registered for vaccination without preference of which brand of vaccine they want though they have the right known the kind of vaccine administered on them,” she added.  

But Climaco was quick to say that a fully vaccinated person is not totally immune to Covid-19 or can walk freely without face mask and face shield. “It does not mean you cannot be infected anymore. No, there is yet a certain period when the vaccine can develop an anti-body in the system. You still have to observe the protocols, limit your movements to accessing essential goods and services,” she explained. 

The City Health Office said nearly 36,000 people received their first dose of the vaccines mostly medical frontliners, senior citizens and people with comorbidities or other medical conditions. And more than 4,000 people were fully vaccinated after getting their second and final dose. (Zamboanga Post)

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