FILE PHOTO: Marikina residents receive the fourth COVID-19 vaccine in Marikina Sports Complex, Marikina City on Tuesday, May 17. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing on Friday, May 13, that the country detected two cases of the more transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 in Metro Manila and 12 cases in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has detected 816 additional cases of the BA.5 Omicron subvariant of COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.
According to the DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosaria Vergeire, all regions detected the variant except for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the latest sequencing run, while 12 returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) tested positive for the BA.5 Omicron subvariant as well.
Of the 816 cases, Vergeire said 560 individuals were fully vaccinated, while the vaccination status of the 256 remaining individuals was still being verified.
“At the moment, exposure of individuals is still unknown, and travel histories are being verified,” she said.
Three infected individuals presented moderate symptoms, while the remaining 813 were still being verified.
The majority of the cases, 686, have already been tagged as recovered, 78 are still undergoing isolation, and 52 cases are being verified.
Meanwhile, 42 more cases of the BA.4 Omicron subvariant were also detected by DOH — 36 of which have already recovered, five are under isolation and another one under verification.
The agency also recorded an additional 52 cases of the BA.2.12.1 Omicron subvariant, said Vergeire.
A majority, or 46 cases, have already been tagged as recoveries, while three cases are still being verified.
According to health experts, the Omicron subvariants of COVID-19 are highly transmissible and can evade vaccine protection.
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