The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday (Nov. 8) announced that the country has recorded its first case of the B.1.617.1 COVID-19 variant, known previously as Kappa. However, the WHO on Sept. 20 changed the variant’s designation to a variant under monitoring (VUM), according to Vergeire. The B.1.617 variant has three sub-lineages in total with different mutations: B.1.617.1 (Kappa), B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.617.3 variant. While the term mutation might sound concerning, it is normal and not new in RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. “In the United States, East Asians have been harassed and violently attacked for spreading ‘the China virus’,” it said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer November 11, 2021 06:39 UTC