Philippines records 671 additional cases of Omicron subvariants

The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded 671 additional cases of Omicron subvariants in the country based on the latest sequencing result.

The University of the Philippines - Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) has sequenced at least 761 samples last February 27, according to the DOH.

Of the 761 samples, the DOH said 468 were classified as BA.2.3.20, 149 classified as XBB (including three cases classified as XBB.1.5), and nine classified as XBC.

The Health Department said it also recorded eight cases of BA.5 (including six cases classified as BQ.1), four cases of BN.1 (classified under BA.2.75), and 33 other Omicron sublineages.

The DOH said 460 additional BA.2.3.20 cases were local cases from Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 7, 12, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Caraga, and National Capital Region (NCR), one case was classified as a Returning Overseas Filipino (ROF), while the case type of the remaining seven are currently being verified.

Among the 149 recently reported XBB cases, the DOH said 146 were local cases from Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, CAR, Caraga, and NCR (including three XBB.1.5 cases), while the remaining three cases are currently being verified if local cases or ROFs.

The DOH said all additional XBC cases were local cases from Regions 7, 9, 12, and Caraga.

Meanwhile, of the additional BA.5 cases (including six BQ.1 cases), seven were local cases from Regions 7, 9, 12, and NCR, while the case type of the remaining case is currently being verified, according to the DOH.

Three of the recently reported BA.2.75 cases were ROFs while the remaining case was a local case from NCR, it added.

As of February 9, among the “Omicron subvariants under monitoring” are BF.7, BQ.1, BA.2.75, CH.1.1, XBB, XBB.1.5, and XBF, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). — RSJ, GMA Integrated News