BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Where did the 35-year-old unvaccinated pregnant woman from Valladolid, Negros Occidental acquire the Lambda variant of the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?
The local government unit was advised by the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas to do backtracking.
The woman is the country’s first case of the Lambda variant.
According to Dr. Jessie Glenn Alonsabe, head of DOH’s Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, the patient’s immediate family and all other close contacts tested negative for COVID-19 when swabbed, thus she may have gotten the variant from someone else.
“During the backtracking dapat hibalu-on kon sin-o ang naglaton sa iya,” said Alonsabe.
Meanwhile, Valladolid’s Mayor Enrique Miravalles revealed that the woman and her newborn son tested negative following a re-swab.
He also stressed that the woman had no travel history outside of the province.
Even though the woman and her household members already tested negative, he ordered that they be closely monitored.
The Lambda variant, also known as the C.37 lineage, was first detected in Peru in August of 2020.
‘REMAIN CALM’
Meanwhile, Negros Occidentals’ Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said residents of the province have nothing to worry about as long as they remain vigilant and follow the minimum health protocols.
The governor said, for now, they are more concerned with the prevalence of the Delta variant and they are doing their best to keep the province’s borders sealed.
“If it’s there, it’s there, let’s just continue to be careful,” Lacson said.
DOH Technical Advisory Group’s Dr. Edsel Salvana said there is yet no conclusive study whether COVID-19 vaccines can give immunity against the Lambda variant or not.
“Mukha po siyang may mga mutations na maaring makaapekto sa efficacy ng ating vaccines pero hindi pa po ito proven,” Salvana said at Malacañang’s virtual presser.
Dr. Nina Gloriani, chairperson of the vaccine expert panel, said more studies are needed to determine the effect of Lambda on COVID-19 vaccines./PN
