President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday the new strain of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been detected in Sabah.

''The provincial government of Sulu has called the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for assistance following reports that the new strain of the Coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19 has been detected in Sabah, Malaysia,'' Duterte said in his address during a meeting with infectious disease experts in the Palace.

Duterte said Jolo Gov. Abdusakur Tan is asking for a Navy blockade ''because there seems to be a new strain or a copy of that strain it has reached Singapore.''

''Sabah is less than 24 --- 29 hours by boat from the Sulu archipelago. We have a porous coastlines and a vast Sulu Sea between us and Sabah. And the city, national government is equipped with the capacity and logistics to put in place and in operation safeguards and preemptive measures called for,'' said Duterte.

Duterte said ''the Sulu Task Force COVID-19 is calling on the public not to panic and to heed advisories from official sources. ''

Socorro Escalante of the World Health Organization (WHO) told Duterte that the new COVID-19 strain is unlike the one found in the United Kingdom. ''We still do not know the significance,'' she said.

''What is very important is control the entry of the people. We have to control our borders. We will coordinate with the military on how we can help Sulu and Tawi-Tawi so intrusion of possible COVID-19 cases can be prevented,'' said Duterte.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said they have ''coordinated with our response team and will intensify surveillance in different airports.'' DMS