COVID-19 virus spreading in PH ‘three to nine times more contagious’ — DOH

April 6 ------ The so-called D614G novel coronavirus mutation, which is more prevalent across the world, including the Philippines, is three to nine times more contagious than the original viruses seen in early 2020, said an expert of the Department of Health (DOH). Dr. Edsel Salvana of the DOH’s Technical Advisory Group said that while some are focusing on new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) variants of concern, it is the D614G that was found in 2020 that remains to be the most prevalent COVID-19 mutation that is causing a surge in cases across the world.

“Even ‘yung variants of concern natin na mga 10 percent ng mga viruses na nakikita ngayon ay hindi pa kasing laganap ‘yung current viruses na umiikot sa buong mundo, which is much more contagious than the original viruses that came out in March. Kaya nakikita natin na three to nine times din ‘yung peak,” Salvana said in the Laging Handa public briefing on Monday, April 5. He cited that stricter quarantine restrictions are not only being implemented in the Philippines, but also in other parts of the world, such as France, Italy, Germany, and the United States that have seen another increase in COVID-19 cases.

“Ang problema sa virus na ‘to napaka-contagious po niya. The viruses that are going around, hindi pa natin pinag-uusapan ‘yung variants of concern, just the regular viruses na umiikot ‘yung may D614G, which already represents 95 percent of the viruses in the world,” Salvana said. He also attributed the spike in COVID-19 cases to people’s relaxation of compliance with the minimum public health standards, such as the proper wearing of face masks and face shields, regular washing of hands, and keeping a two-meter distance.

“Bukod pa dun ang sabi nga ng WHO (World Health Organization) baka dahil ‘yung mga tao nakikita nila na ah andiyan na ang mga bakuna medyo nagiging kampante ng konti,” Salvana said. “Ang virus hindi napapagod pero ang tao napapagod pero we should not let our guard down hanggat hindi pa nababakunahan ang karamihan ng tao, lalo na ‘yung at risk population,” he added. Salvana pointed out that if everyone in the high-risk population is vaccinated, the number of COVID-19 deaths can be significantly reduced by more than 90 percent.

Source: mb.com.ph