By Ma. Teresa Montemayor | Philippine News Agency
A total of 492 new cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been detected from the 714 samples sequenced last January 14, the Department of Health (DOH) reported Wednesday.
In a joint statement with the University of the Philippines – Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) and the University of the Philippines – National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), the DOH said 115 cases are positive for the Delta variant and one Alpha variant.
The Omicron cases are composed of 332 local cases and 160 returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs).
The addresses of the cases were in the National Capital Region, 227; Region 4-A (Calabarzon), 76; Central Luzon, 11; Central Visayas, 5; two cases each in Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, Davao Region, Soccsksargen and the Cordillera Administrative Region, and one case each in Ilocos Region, Region 4-B (Mimaropa), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The DOH said three cases are still active, two cases have died, and 467 cases have been tagged as recovered. There are 20 cases whose outcomes are still being verified.
To date, the total number of confirmed Omicron variant cases is 535.
Of the additional 115 Delta variant cases, 88 were local cases and 27 were ROFs.
The total number of Alpha variant cases is now 3,170.
The DOH urged the public to follow protective health protocols and adhere to minimum public health standards due to high transmissibility of the Omicron variant and the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.
“New protocols based on science and data such as shortened intervals for booster shots, childhood vaccination, shortened quarantine or isolation periods for fully vaccinated HCWs without symptoms, and targeted testing among others were put in place to mitigate the risks of the Omicron variant,” it said. (PNA)-rir
