New Omicron version may pose challenge to PH health system

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

While the detection of another Omicron sublineage, XBB.1.9.1, in the Philippines indicates that the country’s surveillance systems are “working,” health authorities must remain cautious to cushion any impact the new subvariant may have on health-care resources, a director of the World Health Organization (WHO)-Western Pacific region said on Friday.

During the first in-person press briefing since the COVID-19 pandemic began, regional emergency director Babatunde Olowokure said the transmission of the newly detected recombinant XBB.1.9.1 may pose as a “challenge” to the country’s health systems.

But this new subvariant, he noted, would not likely result in “an outbreak of massive proportions.”

“We can look at this in two ways—the fact that the Philippines has detected this [variant] is good news because it shows that the system is working,” Olowokure told reporters at the regional headquarters in Manila.

“As we have seen, there’s a slight increase in cases… but I think, at the moment, we’re looking at something which appears to be controllable,” the WHO official added.

In its latest biosurveillance report, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 54 cases of XBB.1.9.1, which has been classified by WHO as a “currently circulating variant under monitoring.”

Thirty-five of them were locals, while four were returning overseas Filipinos. The remaining 15 cases had yet to be classified.

The recent data covered COVID-19 samples sequenced by the Philippine Genome Center’s main facility at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and Mindanao facility at UP Mindanao.

Omicron found in 63 countries

A recombinant of Omicron sublineages BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75, or the “Centaurus” also circulating in the Philippines, XBB.1.9.1 was first documented by WHO in December last year and has been found in at least 63 countries. It was eventually listed as a variant of monitoring on March 30.

The DOH, in a statement, said that XBB.1.9.1 was “initially flagged due to its increasing global prevalence and higher growth advantage.”

“Limited information is available for the variant and researchers are currently characterizing the variant in terms of transmissibility, immune evasion, and ability to cause more severe disease,” the DOH noted.

Meanwhile, Olowokure noted the declining trend in COVID-19 infections in the Philippines, giving the country “confidence that we are on the right track.”

But he stressed that COVID-19 trends should be interpreted “with caution” as surveillance systems are “not as strong as they used to be,” citing the reduced RT-PCR testing in the country.

A gradual rise in COVID-19 infections had been recorded in recent weeks, based on recent DOH data.

Projections as of April 11 from its FASSSTER team, composed of disease surveillance experts, project nationwide cases to go up to as high as 611 per day by May 15. The current daily average of cases in the past week was recorded at 278.

READ: Omicron community transmission in Metro Manila confirmed – DOH