PH Genome Center: Surge in Covid-19 cases due to BA.5 subvariant

MANILA – The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) stated on Monday that the recent surge in Covid-19 cases is caused by the Omicron BA.5 subvariant.

According to PGC Executive Director Cynthia Saloma, around 85 percent of the sequenced samples is composed of Omicron BA.5 subvariant.

“In the past month alone, the BA.5 po talaga ang (is really the) most predominant sample or variant that we are sequencing in the Philippines,” she said.

“Mayroon po tayong konting BA.4 and may mangilan-ngilan na (We have few BA.4 and some) BA.2.1 and very very few of the BA.2.3 which is the predominant one last January. But, all in all, we can probably say that this current wave is really the BA.5 wave,” she added.

The most common subvariant of the Omicron BA.5 subvariant found in the country is BA.5.2.

“In the US and in Europe, ang marami po is BA.5. Ang binabantayan lang natin ay kung itong karamihan ng ating BA.5 ay magkakaroon ng mutations (the are many BA.5.1 cases. We’re just monitoring if most of our BA.5 [cases] will have mutations),” she said.

The country sequences approximately 1,100 to 1,200 cases or samples per week.

The PGC in Diliman processes 750 samples a week while the PGC in the Visayas sequences 300 specimens a week.

Every week, 100 samples are processed by the PGC in Mindanao.

“Mayroon din po sine-sequence sa RITM [Research Institute for Tropical Medicine] pero (There are samples sequenced at the RITM but) I don’t really know the exact number,” Saloma said.

Saloma stated that aside from the two cases previously reported, no new cases of the Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant have been found.

“’Yung nomenclature na Centaurus ay hindi po galing sa WHO [World Health Organization], galing po ito sa one social media user. So, hindi po siya official nomenclature ng isang (The nomenclature Centaurus is not from the WHO, it is from one social media user. So, it is not an official nomenclature of a) variant of concern,” she added.