OUR Department of Health (DoH) appears to be unique among global health authorities in being apparently unconcerned about the threat posed by the recently discovered, highly infectious mutation of the novel coronavirus, known as B117. To some observers, recalling the slow response to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic early last year, dismissive statements by the DoH this week seem to be a case of, in the words of silver-tongued baseball immortal Yogi Berra, “déjà vu all over again.”

We are specifically concerned about statements made during the DoH’s regular daily briefing on Thursday, when the department’s spokesman asserted, much to everyone’s surprise, that the B117 variant had not been detected in the Philippines. This was a curious statement to say the least, as it followed widespread news reports from Hong Kong that the B117 virus had appeared there, brought in by a Filipino traveler arriving from Manila.