The Department of Health (DOH) records the first cases of BA.2.12.1 or the more transmissible Omicron subvariant from two people in the National Capital Region (NCR) and 12 from Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
According to a press statement from the DOH, the two persons from Metro Manila are both Filpino, while the 12 in Palawan comprise 11 foreigners and one Filipino.
Current data shows that subvariant BA.2.12.1 can spread easier and evade the immune response.
However, no evidence suggests that this subvariant causes more severe disease.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that those who tested positive from NCR last April 22 were fully vaccinated and only experienced mild symptoms.
They also had no record of foreign travels and have since completed home quarantine, and their 39 close contacts did not show signs of COVID-19 infection.
On the other hand, the 12 reported cases from Palawan were members of a diving exploration group initially composed of 18 Filipino crew members and 25 foreign tourists.
Fifteen of them tested positive for COVID-19 after an RT-PCR test upon arrival at the port last April 29.
Similarly, they were fully vaccinated and have since been released from the quarantine facility.
And their 28 close contacts from the same cruise ship tested negative for COVID-19.
The United States Center for Disease Control (US-CDC) raised concern over this subvariant as cases of BA.2.12.1 significantly increased to 42% of total COVID-19 infections in the country during the first week of May, according to the latest NowCast report from the CDC.
The DOH recorded a case of BA.2.12, another Omicron subvariant different from BA.2.12.1, in a 52-year-old Finnish woman in Baguio City last April. She has since recovered and returned to Finland on April 21.
Last April, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., vaccine czar said "..many experts predicted, including OCTA, that in mid-May we will have a dramatic increase of new cases. Meaning, COVID-19 is still here. We should not be complacent."
Galvez also urged the public to get their booster shots. Moreover, health and safety protocols, such as physical distancing and wearing well-fitted face masks, should still be observed even under Alert Level 1.
Comments