MANILA – A health official stated on Tuesday that cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant have been logged in 15 areas throughout the National Capital Region (NCR).
“Our latest whole-genome sequencing showed that the Omicron variant is now the predominant variant in the National Capital Region,” Department of Health Epidemiology Bureau Director Alethea de Guzman said during a congressional briefing.
She did not indicate which areas in the NCR recorded Omicron cases.
The variant has also been found in 13 out of the 17 regions, contributing to the rise in Covid-19 cases.
“However, the increased mobility and reduced adherence to minimum public health standards, as well as the delays in detection and isolation of cases, also contributed to the spike of infections,” she said.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed on Saturday the community transmission of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the NCR although a peak in the number of cases is not expected until next month.
On Monday, the NCR logged 13,543 cases — lower than Sunday’s 15,959 and Saturday’s 18,422.
As of January 18, the country’s total number of new coronavirus infections is 28,471.
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