DOH detects 604 new cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant

Test tube labeled “COVID-19 Omicron variant test positive” is seen in this illustration picture taken Jan. 15, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

MANILA, Philippines—A total of 604 infections of the more-transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19, have been registered by the Department of Health (DOH).

According to the DOH’s latest biosurveillance report released on Jan. 28, the majority, or 604, of the recorded Omicron infections were local cases, while nine were incoming international travelers.

Most of the Omicron cases belonged to the BA.2.3.20 subvariant at 252, followed by XBB subvariant at 201, then unspecified Omicron subvariants at 118.

The DOH said it also recorded 81 other cases with no lineage specified.

Based on the report, the BA.5 subvariant remains the dominant strain in the country, with a total of 12,687 cases recorded.

The BA.2.3.20 followed at second with a total of 4,173 cases. The XBB subvariant, meanwhile, accounted for 1,170 of the total cases, while XBC numbered 625 and BA.4, 325.

The least dominant strains were the Omicron BF.7 and BN. 1b, each with seven cases recorded.

This latest biosurveillance report was based on the genome sequencing results of the University of the Philippines – Philippine Genome Center Main, Visayas and Mindanao; Research Institute for Tropical Medicine; San Lazaro Hospital; and Southern Philippines Medical Center, with collection dates from May 2022 onwards.

As of Jan. 31, the country currently has 9,362 active COVID-19 infections, based on the DOH’s online COVID-19 tracker.  /ra