(REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday reported the detection of 29 more cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19, bringing the total cases of the said variant in the country to 43.
According to DOH, the 29 cases were detected from 48 samples—taken from 19 returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and 29 local COVID-19 cases from areas with infection clusters— and were sequenced last January 2.
Ten of the new Omicron cases are from ROFs, while 19 were detected locally. The 19 local cases had addresses in Metro Manila.
Of the local cases, 14 are still active and three have recovered. The DOH is still verifying the status of the two other local cases.
“The DOH is verifying the test results and health status of all passengers of these flights to determine if there are other confirmed cases or passengers who became symptomatic after arrival,” the health agency said in a statement.
The DOH confirmed the additional Omicron cases after coronavirus infections soared again to over 10,000 on Wednesday, the highest since September 11 during the Delta-driven surge.
Delta variant cases
Meanwhile, the DOH also reported 18 Delta variant cases from the 48 sequenced samples, raising the total number of Delta variant cases to 8,497. The remaining sequenced sample had no assigned lineage.
Of the new Delta cases, eight were ROFs and the other 10, all from Metro Manila, are local cases.
Vaccination
Amid the detection of more transmissible variants, the DOH reiterated its reminder to the public to get vaccinated against coronavirus.
“The DOH strongly encourages eligible individuals, especially our senior citizens, those with comorbidities, and children to get vaccinated and boosted immediately. Vaccines are still our best defense and proven to be safe, effective, and free,” the agency said.
“Let’s not be agents of transmission and prevent further spread of the virus as more transmission means more mutations. At the earliest signs of symptoms, remember to isolate immediately and do the right test at the right time,” it added.
The DOH likewise urged the public to maximize telemedicine services which can be found at bit.ly.DOHTelemedicine.
“Let’s keep our guards on for Omicron,” the DOH said.
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