By Myris Lee
The Department of Health (DOH) announced that the country has recorded its first two cases of Omicron subvariant BA.5 in Region 3 (Central Luzon).
The DOH said the two cases, one female in her late thirties and one male in his early fifties from the same household, had no travel history and are fully vaccinated with booster shots.
The two mild cases began to experience cold and cough symptoms on May 15, and started their home isolation on May 16 until May 30. They are currently asymptomatic and tagged as recovered.
The two identified close contacts who tested positive and negative, respectively, belong to the same household and are undergoing isolation.
Amid the emergence of Omicron subvariant cases and the slight increase in cases, the country’s healthcare utilization remains under low risk category due to the improving vaccination rate all over the country.
As of June 1, more than 69.4 million Filipinos or 77% of the target eligible population have been fully-vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine, while 14.3 million have already taken their first booster shot.
More than 142,600 have been administered with their second booster shot. Over 40.9 million who are not yet boosted are encouraged to get their vaccine jabs. – ag