The Philippines on Sunday detected its first case of the Lambda COVID-19 variant, according to the Department of Health.
In a statement, the DOH said the case was a 35-year-old asymptomatic female that has already been tagged as recovered after undergoing a 10-day isolation period.
Authorities are currently identifying if the first case is a local or a returning overseas Filipino (ROF). The DOH is also conducting tracing and case investigation.
"Regardless of the presence of any variant of concern, the DOH reiterates to the public the strict adherence to the minimum public health standards, strengthened PDITR, and vaccination strategies remain effective," the department added.
In a report from Reuters, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies Lambda as a “variant of interest”, which was first identified in Peru in December, as laboratory studies showed it has mutations that resist vaccine-induced antibodies.
