The local government of Manila is appealing to its residents to be wary and take extra precautions against the new FLiRT-Covid-19 variant following a recent surge in cases, according to Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna.

This comes after the mayor disclosed that several of her friends with elderly loved ones reported being infected with the new variant and hospitalized.

“The number of Covid-19 cases in our city is slowly increasing again,” Lacuna said, adding that 10 new cases were recently recorded, bringing the total to 28 as of 24 May 2024.

Lacuna also stressed the importance of returning to basic health protocols, such as wearing face masks in crowded areas, frequent hand washing or sanitization and maintaining physical distance, especially from those exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

Lacuna, a medical doctor herself, highlighted that existing Covid-19 vaccines are not effective against the new variant. Additionally, the efficacy of those vaccines has waned over time.

“There is no new vaccine available yet against this variant, so let’s all be careful, especially those who belong to high-risk groups,” Lacuna said. These groups include the very young, seniors, immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women and those with existing symptoms.

The mayor reiterated the importance of caution as she warned that there is no currently available vaccine that is effective against the new Covid-19 variant.

She cited news reports of Singapore recording at least 25,000 new FLiRT-Covid-19 cases in just a week.

“Be careful and remember, we no longer have a vaccine against this variant available and even if there are vaccines, it is not the right vaccine against the new variant,” Lacuna said.