By Alec Go
The Department of Health (DOH) reported on Thursday (Jan. 27) another 18,191 COVID-19 cases and 22,014 recoveries, bringing the active case tally to 226,521.
A total of 74 fatalities were also recorded. To date, there have been 53,736 deaths, 3,213,190 recoveries, and 3,493,447 total cases nationwide.
The DOH said 97.9% of the cases are mild and asymptomatic, while there are 309 critical, 1,509 severe, and 2,971 moderate.
The current hospital occupancy in the country stands at 49% for intensive care units (ICU), 50% for isolation beds, 51% for ward beds, and 25% for ventilators. The National Capital Region (NCR) has an ICU utilization of 41%, while its isolation, ward, and ventilators have occupancy rates of 39%, 47%, and 26%, respectively.
All laboratories were operational on January 25 while two others were not able to submit data, according to the DOH.
Omicron
The DOH announced early Thursday that 618 more Omicron variant cases have been detected from the 677 samples that have undergone whole genome sequencing.
The new cases include 497 local cases and 121 from returning overseas Filipinos. Of the new cases, two have succumbed to the disease.
Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Saloma said the “Stealth Omicron” or BA.2 subvariant, which has been detected in 12 regions in the country, is the “dominant and the one circulating variant in the Philippines particularly in our local community transmissions.”
“Sa ating community transmissions po, mostly po BA.2 na sila at nakikita po natin iyan predominantly here in the National Capital Region, as well as po in the Calabarzon, and in other places of the country,” she said in the Laging Handa briefing.
“Sa local cases po natin, mga 248 out of the 336 na samples na na-detect natin na BA.2 are coming from the National Capital Region. So malaganap po talaga ang BA.2 dito sa atin,” she said.
The PGC chief said most of the infected are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms amid high vaccination rates, but noted that the variant can still be “lethal” following the death of at least two Omicron cases.
Meanwhile, the DOH clarified that vaccinated individuals can donate blood anytime if they are asymptomatic or 14 days after resolution of symptoms, in response to circulating posts claiming otherwise.
Watch the full interview with Dr. Saloma here:
