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Philippines reports first cases of COVID-19 South African variant

The Philippines documented six cases of the South African coronavirus variant, its health ministry said on March 2, raising concern among its experts that the current vaccines might be less effective.
Philippines reports first cases of COVID-19 South African variant ảnh 1Locals in Manila (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - The Philippines documented six cases of the SouthAfrican coronavirus variant, its health ministry said on March 2, raisingconcern among its experts that the current vaccines might be less effective.

Among them, three were detected locally, and two were Filipinos returning fromoverseas. The origin of the other case was still being verified.

The Philippines started its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on March 1, animportant milestone for a country among the hardest hit by the pandemic inAsia, but the discovery of another variant could complicate its recoveryeffort.

The country aims to vaccinate 70 million of its citizens in 2021, beginningwith medical workers, the elderly and the impoverished. It has a totalpopulation of 110 million people.

Currently, the country is in talks with majormanufacturers of coronavirus vaccines to buy more than 160 million doses thisyear./.
VNA
#COVID-19 #The Philippines #South African coronavirus variant #vaccination campaign #medical workers #the elderly #the impoverished #Vietnam News Agency #Vietnamplus Philippines
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