A former health secretary turned legislator urged the public – especially healthcare workers, senior citizens and the immunocompromised – to have themselves vaccinated to protect them from threats of the new COVID-19 variant “FLiRT.”
“Having flu and pneumonia vaccines will help the vulnerables have uncomplicated cases. It will help us manage patients by reducing concurrent infections among covid patients,” Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said.
Garin said the mutation of the virus is expected and the spread of the new variant can be addressed through awareness and proper management of cases.
“It is expected that a virus will keep on mutating but what’s important is the capability of our health workforce to manage cases and for the general public to be aware, hence allowing early consultation, diagnosis and management,” said Garin, a doctor by profession.
She also reminded the public to frequently wash hands, practice proper hygiene, and have adequate rest and nutritious balanced diet as these are essential weapons of Filipinos to crush and flatten the variant.
“Ensuring proper hygiene and being healthy are still two of the best ways to prevent from acquiring the virus,” Garin said.
Based on reports, FliRT variants have been detected in Singapore, Thailand, India, China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and 14 countries in Europe.
The Department of Health – Bureau of Quarantine earlier went on a “heightened alert” for the new variants.
Director Ferdinand Salcedo directed all BOQ stations and other concerned agencies to “conduct thorough screening at points of entry for arriving visitors originating from countries where COVID FliRT incidents have been detected.”
“We are facing a new COVID-19 strain that has the KP.1 and KP.2 variations, which are parts of the newly-discovered subvariant identified as FLiRT, a novel virus spreading globally,” Salcedo said.