By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Brushing off unfounded fears, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Ted Herbosa on Monday (27 May 2024) said that although COVID FLiRT variants appear to be highly contagious, “nothing to worry about” since “it does not kill.”
But the DOH will not take chances as it confirmed the issuance of the Bureau of Quarantine’s (BOQ) Bureau Memorandum No. 2024-48 dated May 24, wherein “all stations have been directed to conduct thorough screening at Points of Entry for arriving visitors originating from countries where COVID FLiRT incidents have been detected”.
“We appreciate the public’s heightened interest in BOQ operations to protect our population — as you can see, DOH delivers,” the agency said.
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released variants under monitoring (VUM), including KP.2 and KP.3, which were dubbed by researchers as “FLiRT” variants to describe the amino acid changes in the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus.
It was learned that under the new BOQ memo, the public is reminded to “take basic health measures such as frequent hand washing, coughing etiquette, avoiding crowded situations and getting in contact with people with flu-like symptoms.”
“All travelers must be reminded to complete the health questionnaire available on the e-travel application,” the BOQ memo said.
(el Amigo/MNM)
