6 new BA.5 cases and 10 new BA.2.12.1 cases added to growing number of Omicron cases in PHL
(Eagle News) – At least 16 more cases of the more transmissible Omicron subvariants BA.5 and BA.2.12.1 have been recently found in the country.
There were six additional cases of the BA.5 Omicron subvariant and two of these came from Metro Manila.
At least 10 more additional cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 which were also found, mostly in Metro Manila and the CALABARZON region.
In a press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that of the six who tested positive for the BA.5 subvariant, two were from Metro Manila, and one each from Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, and Northern Mindanao. The address of the other case is still being determined.
The 10 others were BA.2.12.1 cases, with at least four from Metro Manila and two from the CALABARZON region. There was also one each from Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Western Visayas, while another one is a returning overseas Filipino.
This means that at least six of the 16 new cases recently found of the more transmissible Omicron subvariant are in Metro Manila.
Vergeire, however, said that the increase in Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila was “not directly related” with the increase of the new subvariant cases.
The Department of Health (DOH) said that Metro Manila still remains at “low risk” category for COVID-19.
Metro Manila has the highest number of COVID-19 cases compared to other regions in the past few days.
-New COVID-19 cases in NCR increasing-
On June 16, the National Capital Region had 214 new COVID-19 cases, or almost double the new cases reported the previous day at 117.
On June 7, the DOH said that 10 more cases of the two more transmissible Omicron variant sub-lineages have been detected. In the press briefing last week, seven more BA2.12.1 cases and three BA.5 cases were found in the latest sequencing run of 190 samples, where 114 are Omicron cases.
(Eagle News Service)
