COVID-19 Lambda Variant Enters Philippines Despite Longest, Strict Lockdowns

Despite having one of the world’s longest lockdowns, the Philippines’ health department of Sunday announced that it has detected the first case of COVID-19 Lambda variant.

This, despite reverting to the strictest lockdown classification is several parts of the country since August 6.

In a statement, the Department of Health said the first detected case was a 35-year-old female. She was asymptomatic and tagged recovered after undergoing a 10-day mandatory isolation period.

The health department did not specify other details. Authorities are still verifying whether she was a returning local or overseas worker. The DOH is also conducting contact tracing as of the moment.

First documented in Peru in 2020, the COVID-19 Lambda variant was classified a variant of interest by the World Health Organization.

The Philippines’ health department said that the Lambda variant “has the potential to affect the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 and is currently being monitored for its possible clinical significance.”

Meanwhile, 182 Delta variant cases were also recorded for the day, bringing the total to 807 local cases.

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