The first case of XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant or also known as Arcturus recorded in the Philippines has fully recovered, the Department of Health(DOH) announced on Wednesday.

“The detected XBB.1.16 case in Iloilo Province was asymptomatic and has already recovered,” DOH said in a statement.

Citing the latest risk assessment conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), DOH said “no changes in severity have been reported” in the variants. Overall, risk assessment is said to be low," it added.

The DOH reminded the public to continue applying protective measures against COVID-19 such as wearing a face mask and getting vaccines against COVID-19.

As of April 26, the positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) has risen to 13.4 percent from 8.4 percent on April 19, the latest monitoring of the OCTA Research Team has shown.

The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the country is now at 4,090,996 with active cases of 4,960.

On Tuesday, the health department reported the first case of Arcturus or XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant has been detected in Region 6 or Western Visayas.