Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) Â The Department of Health sees no need yet to revise the country’s testing protocols despite reports of a new COVID-19 variant discovered in France that is more difficult to detect by RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests.
Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire on Saturday said experts from Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and other credible institutions have denied claims this new variant is undetectable in standard PCR tests.
“Ito naman po ay pinabulaanan din ng mga experts… Ang sinasabi nila na ang RT-PCR not only uses the S gene. Mayroon pong iba’t ibang genes na ginagamit for us to detect the virus,” Vergeire told a virtual briefing.
[Translation: This was denied by experts. They say RT-PCR not only uses the S gene. There are different genes that can be used for us to detect the virus.]
More research about the new variant will be needed, she added.
Vergeire also stressed that experts still consider RT-PCR testing as “very effective to detect the virus.”
Last month, the French Ministry of Health issued a statement about the mutation that was only detected through genomic sequencing as eight of 79 COVID-19 patients initially tested negative for the coronavirus using the gold-standard PCR test.
French authorities said the new variant currently “does not appear to be more dangerous or contagious.”
READ:Â OCTA recommends at least 14 days of quarantine for returning Filipinos amid new COVID-19 variant threat
Earlier this week, the OCTA Research group recommended the strict enforcement of a mandatory quarantine period for returning Filipinos.
OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David pushed for a 14-day isolation – or even longer – for Filipinos coming from abroad to prevent a further rise in COVID-19 cases following the detection of the new variant in France.
The Department of Health sees no need yet to revise the country’s testing protocols despite reports of a new COVID-19 variant discovered in France that is more difficult to detect by RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests.
