BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – All hospitals in this city are urged to strengthen their infection and prevention control measures to limit local transmission of the new COVID-19 variants dubbed “FLiRT.”
Mayor Jerry Treñas recently issued an executive order adopting the memorandum issued by the Department of Health (DOH), through the Bureau of Quarantine, imposing stringent screening procedures at all entry points for travelers from affected regions.
The mayor’s memo outlined guidelines implementing heightened alert in the metropolis due to the fresh threat of COVID.
FLiRT, a family of subvariants descending from the JN.1 lineage, emerged recently and garnered global attention, including in the Philippines.
FLiRT includes variants such as KP.2, identified as particularly concerning due to its mutations in the virus’ spike protein.
These mutations may enhance the virus’ ability to evade immunity and bind more tightly to cells, potentially leading to increased infections.
Symptoms of the FLiRT variants are similar to those of earlier COVID-19 strains, including fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, and gastrointestinal issues.
In the memorandum, Mayor Treñas ordered stricter screening in the seaports and airport for arriving visitors from countries where the FLiRT variants has been detected.
The mayor also encouraged the public to wear masks in crowded areas including frontline workers dealing with multiple clients.
“Those experiencing flu-like symptoms are advised to seek early consultation with Iloilo City Health Office district centers or preferred health care providers for early and proper health management,” the memo read.
The Iloilo City Health Office (CHO) has cautioned the public to be more vigilant amid the rising cases of the FLiRT variants.
CHO posted a moderate risk classification due to a two-week growth rate of 325 percent with 17 cases, up from the previous rate of only 33% with four cases. It said the healthcare utilization rate rose to 21.62% on May 27 from 16.16% on May 23.
“We are closely monitoring the cases because of the spike of COVID-19 infections in other countries like Singapore because of the FLiRT variants, named after the technical names for their mutation, which are derived from spike proteins of mutation,” Assistant City Health Officer Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna said.
Fortuna said that studies showed the new subvariant is highly transmissible, and although records say the manifestation of the virus is not severe with the same symptoms, one can still get infected despite being vaccinated.
“We must stay vigilant and not become complacent, even among those who have been vaccinated, and especially with the history of comorbidities and not vaccinated,” Fortuna added./PN
