3 more Omicron deaths–DOH

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) reported three more deaths due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus as it recorded 15,789 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

The deaths raised to five the number of people who succumbed to Omicron in the country.

All three were elderly with comorbidities.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that despite studies showing Omicron to be milder than the Delta variant, it could still cause severe COVID-19 and death, particularly among individuals who had not been vaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

The elderly and those with comorbidities are vulnerable even if vaccinated, she added.

“So, we cannot put some lighter weight for Omicron because it has milder symptoms. it can still be severe,” Vergeire said in an interview with ANC.

The number of new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday was down from Tuesday’s 17,677.

The National Capital Region (NCR) accounted for 2,135, or around 14 percent of Wednesday’s total, slightly lower than the 2,248 (15 percent) reported in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon). Central Visayas reported 1,520 cases (10 percent).

Vergeire said COVID-19 cases in NCR continued to decline and it was not unlikely that the region’s alert level 3 would be lowered soon.

While cases in Metro Manila were slowing down, the DOH observed a sustained increase in Visayas and Mindanao, which showed an 87.35 percent and a 164.72 percent increase in their respective cases from the previous week.

Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Davao Region topped others in Visayas and Mindanao based on their seven-day moving average since Jan. 19, with bed utilization at moderate risk and intensive care unit utilization at low-moderate risk.