The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday reported five more cases of Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 in the Western Visayas region.
In a media briefing, Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, director of the Disease Prevention and Control and Health Promotion Bureau, said the new cases were found among three fully vaccinated returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) coming from the United States who all came from the same household.
The other two are tagged as local cases and are also residing under the same roof.
The DOH said all are fully vaccinated and haven’t shown any symptoms after completing home isolation. They are now considered recovered.
According to Ho, the two local cases had two close contacts while the three ROFs had five.
These seven close contacts have likewise finished isolation and are tagged as recovered.
“Makikita niyong hindi nakakadulot ng kritikal at malubha na kondisyon ang panibagong variant na ito dahil rin bakunado ang ating mga pasyente ngayon,” Ho said.
Following the five new cases, the Philippines has now 22 total cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1. A total of 18 were local cases, including 12 from Puerto Princesa, four from Western Visayas, and two from Metro Manila.
The remaining four are ROFs residing in Western Visayas.
Omicron BA.4
In the same briefing, the DOH said there were no new cases of the Omicron BA.4 variant.
However, it has identified 33 more close contacts of the country’s first Omicron BA.4 case, a now-recovered Filipino who came home from Qatar earlier this month.
The DOH said it is still verifying their vaccination status and testing details.
