Philippines reports first cases of Covid-19 South African variant

A military medical professional takes a picture as he receives his first dose of Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac vaccine during the launch of the vaccination drive, at the Victoriano Luna Medical Center, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 1, 2021 - Reuters

MANILA (Reuters): The Philippines has documented six cases of the South African coronavirus variant, its health ministry said on Tuesday (March 2), raising concern among its experts that the current vaccines might be less effective.

Of the six South African variant cases, three were detected locally and two from Filipinos returning from overseas. The origin of the other case was still being verified, it said.

The Philippines kicked off its Covid-19 vaccination campaign on Monday.