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Local shares fell on Friday as investors make last-minute adjustments to their portfolios ahead of the main index’s rebalancing, while unease over rising infections grows. 
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 18) The Department of Health says more variants of COVID-19 have been detected in the country.
A statement from the DOH on Sunday said there are 266 more cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, 351 cases of the B.1.351 variant and 25 additional cases of the P.3 variant.
The B.1.1.7 variant was first discovered in the United Kingdom, while the B.1.351 variant was first detectedd in South Africa. The P.3 variant, meanwhile, was first found in the Philippines but is not a variant of concern.
“The DOH, the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC), and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) reiterate that the P.3 variant is still NOT identified as a variant of concern (VOC) since current data is insufficient to determine whether the variant will have significant public health implications,” the statement read.
Of the 266 B.1.1.7 cases, 11 are returning overseas Filipinos, while 188 are local cases and 67 are being verified to see whether these are local or ROF cases. It added, based on the case line list, eight cases have died and 204 cases have recovered while 54 cases are still active.
Meanwhile, from the B.1.351 variant cases, 15 are ROFs, 263 are local cases, and 73 cases are currently being verified if they are local or ROF cases. The DOH said 54 cases are still active, four cases have died, and 293 cases have recovered.
There are two cases of the P.3 variant from ROFs, 21 local cases, while two cases are being verified if they are local or ROF cases. Based on the case line list, one case is still active, and 24 cases have recovered.
To date, the DOH said the total number of infections stand at 926,052, with the active case count breaching 200,000.
Meanwhile, global COVID-19 deaths surpassed three million, Johns Hopkins data showed, while total infections neared 140 million.
