Multiple strains of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), have entered the country during the course of the pandemic.

In a statement on Thursday, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) said the two main lineages of the SARS-CoV-2 virus came from the first three cases recorded in the country in June while most of the samples taken from the National Capital Region (NCR), Ilocos Sur, Rizal and Laguna came from sublineages that were responsible for outbreaks in different parts of the world.