The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the detection of a number of COVID-19 Variants Under Monitoring (VUMs) in the country, including the KP.2 “FLiRT” variant which has been reported to be spreading in the United States.

“Recent sequencing data by the University of the Philippines – Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) confirm this, with the identification of 30 cases of JN.1, two cases of JN.18, and two cases of KP.2,” the DOH stated.

DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo noted that the earliest sample collection date for KP.2 in the country is in May 2024.

“It may be likely that there are earlier KP.2 cases, but because of limited sequencing we have not detected and reported this earlier,” he said.

The department explained that FLiRT is an informal nickname coined by some researchers to describe amino acid changes in the COVID-19 virus’ spike protein, specifically from the amino acids phenylalanine (F), leucine (L), arginine (R) to threonine (T). It also includes the KP.1 and KP.3 variants.

These KP variants are reported to be distant relatives of the Omicron variant, which, together with the Delta variant, infected hundreds of thousands in the Philippines and millions more globally during the height of the pandemic.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported an uptick of KP.2 cases in the US since April of this year.

The DOH clarified, however, that there is still no evidence as of the moment that the new variants are causing severe to critical COVID-19, both locally and internationally, as further assessment continues to determine transmissibility and capacity to evade immune response.

It said that it remains in close coordination with international health authorities regarding these variants.

The DOH advised anew that the voluntary use of face masks should be done properly, along with standard precautions like hand washing, avoiding crowds, and choosing good airflow.

📷 DOH FB