ILOILO City – Five new cases of Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 have been detected in Western Visayas.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday disclosed that these additional cases were composed of three returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) from the United States and two local cases.
All these new cases were fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and asymptomatic. They went through and completed their isolation and were deemed to have recovered already.
Their close contacts have been identified already, according to DOH.
The Omicron is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Its subvariant BA. 2.12.1 is highly transmissible.
The region’s new cases brought the total Omicron subvariant cases in Western Visayas to eight (four ROFs and four local cases) and 22 in the whole country.
Eighteen of the 22 infections were locally acquired (12 were from Puerto Princesa City, four from Western Visayas, and another two from the National Capital Region), while four others were ROFs residing in Western Visayas.
As of this writing, DOH Region 6 was yet to issue specific details about Western Visayas’ new Omicron subvariant cases, particularly their location.
The previous three first cases detected were from Iloilo province, specifically from Pavia and Zarraga towns (both were local cases) and the other one was from Iloilo City (an ROF).
A COVID-19 case is deemed a local transmission if it could not be epidemiologically linked to cases with significant international travel history.
According to DOH, the most recent evidence indicates that Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 is highly transmissible due to additional mutations, compared to the original Omicron strain. While this sublineage has so far not been observed to lead to more severe disease or fatality, it has the potential for immune escape.
The public is advised to continue adhering to the minimum public health standards such as wearing of facemask, physical distancing, frequent hand washing, and avoiding crowded spaces.
DOH also encourages the eligible population to avail themselves of free COVID-19 vaccination./PN
