MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday confirmed that a total of 618 new cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been detected from the 677 samples in the most recent batch of whole-genome sequencing.
In a joint statement with the University of the Philippines – Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) and the University of the Philippines – National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), the DOH said the Omicron cases composed of 497 local cases and 121 returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs).
For the Omicron variant, the addresses of the cases were in the National Capital Region with 238 cases, Calabarzon, 71; Ilocos Region and Western Visayas with 30 each; Eastern Visayas, 28; Central Luzon, 27; Central Visayas, 20; Cagayan Valley, 19; Cordillera Administrative Region, 13; Davao Region, 10; Soccsksargen, 6; two cases each from Bicol Region and Mimaropa and one case from Northern Mindanao.
According to DOH, 13 cases are still active, two cases have died, and 560 cases have been tagged as recovered. There are 43 cases whose results are still being verified.
Currently, the total number of confirmed Omicron variant cases is 1,153.
There were five deaths among the confirmed Omicron cases.
“Both the original Omicron lineage, B.1.1.529, and its sub-lineages, BA.1 and BA.2, have been detected in the country,” the DOH said. “The earliest detection of the BA.2 sub-lineage was on December 31, 2021 and was found to be the majority of Omicron cases in the latest batch.”
The highly transmissible Delta variant was detected in 35 cases, 26 of which were local cases and nine of which were ROFs, bringing the total number to 8,647.
The DOH asked the public to adhere to protective health practices and basic public health standards while studies into the possible effects of the detected ‘Stealth Omicron’ on current case trends are ongoing.
“New protocols were put in place as a preventive measure to mitigate the risks of the different variants of the virus,” it said.
Moreover, it encouraged the public to complete their primary series of vaccines and boosters, especially those who are most vulnerable to the virus such as the elderly, the young, and the sick.
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