ILOILO – The country’s first case of “Arcturus” or the XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant of the coronavirus causing COVID-19 is from Iloilo province.
“Sa initial nga information, the patient is a 16-year-old female and admitted sa Western Visayas Medical Center. Pero as to other details, i-investigate pa namon,” said Dr. Rodney Labis, chief of the Health Service Delivery Division of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO).
The Arcturus subvariant is a sublineage of the Omicron, which has the ability to evade immunity and is said to be more transmissible, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
The IPHO is coordinating with the concerned municipal health office (MHO) on the patient’s background such as her travel history, exposure, and vaccination status, among others.
Labis has also yet to determine if the patient was brought to the hospital because she manifested signs and symptoms.
In its latest coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) biosurveillance report released on Tuesday, April 25, the DOH recorded one case of the variant.
XBB.1.16 is spreading around the world and has been detected in 33 countries.
DOH said the current available evidence for XBB.1.16 “does not suggest any differences in disease severity and/or clinical manifestations compared to the original Omicron variant.”
“Researchers are currently characterizing the variant in terms of transmissibility, immune evasion, and ability to cause more severe disease,” the health department added.
The World Health Organization earlier flagged it as a new variant of interest because of the increasing number of cases.
According to Labis, the infection rate of Omicron XBB.1.16 is still under investigation because there are only a few recorded cases in the whole world.
Nevertheless, the IPHO officer assured the public there is nothing to worry about for now because the risks or threats the XBB.1.16 poses to the human body are the same as the previous variants.
“Same man gihapon. Kon ano ang ginahatag nga balatian ni COVID-19, which is delikado, same nga pagkabalaka ang mabatyagan sang aton public, especially those nga wala makabaton sang primary doses and booster shots,” added Labis.
But he said whichever variant hits the province, the approach is still the same – following minimum public health standards like wearing a facemask in crowded places and enclosed spaces, observing physical distancing, and frequently washing hands or using hand sanitizer.
“Same gihapon ang approach maski ano pa nga variant sang COVID. Ang effective nga preventive measures to protect ourselves is to get the vaccine – primary and booster – para makahatag sang layered protection sa kaugalingon, sa enclosed places nga indi ma-maintain ang physical distancing, and kon sa health facilities kita magsuksok sang mask,” said Labis.
The IPHO officer emphasized the importance of vaccines, especially that the province has made little progress on the rollout of booster shots.
As of April 17, a total of 1,377,950, or 94.27 percent, of the total population in the province received the first dose; 1,292,571 or 88.43 percent received the second dose; 290,054 or 19.84 percent received the first booster; and 25,216, or 1.73 percent, received the second booster.
The province targets inoculating 1,461,756 individuals.
Labis assured that the supply of vaccines is enough; 60,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine arrived from the DOH recently.
Dr. Bea Camille Natalaray, medical officer IV of the DOH-6 Center for Health Development, said that just like any variant, it is recommended for the public to still follow the minimum health standards.
“Dapat kabalo kita sang aton nga risks. Kon immunocompromised kita and senior, importante nga when we go to crowded places or enclosed areas maga-wear gid kita sang facemask,” said Natalaray.
It was also learned from Natalaray that DOH-6 does not yet have the data that can tell the severity of Omicron XBB.1.16 compared to other variants like the Delta.
As of Monday, April 24, the province had 51,509 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 53 were active, 49,792 recovered, and 1,629 deaths.
The 53 active cases were from Oton, Pavia, Pototan, Lambunao, Janiuay, Sara, Dumangas, Tigbauan, Calinog, Concepcion, Dingle, Ajuy, Igbaras, Maasin, Badiangan, Anilao, San Rafael, Tubungan, Santa Barbara, Passi City, Dueñas, Estancia, Leganes, and Lemery.
From April 2 to 22, the province had an average of 3.71 cases per day – higher than the average two cases per day from March 26 to April 8.
The province remains under COVID-19 Alert Level 1 from April 15 to 30./PN
