DOH: Omicron sub-variant not yet seen in Philippines

Philstar.com January 24, 2022 | 4:34pm DOH: Omicron sub-variant not yet seen in Philippines Railway personnel check coronavirus vaccination cards of passengers boarding a train at a station in Quezon City, suburban Manila on January 18, 2022, as the Philippine government banned unvaccinated people from using public transport amid a record surge in coronavirus cases. AFP / Maria Tan MANILA, Philippines — Health authorities in the Philippines have yet to detect a sub-lineage of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which has been seen in other countries, the Department of Health said Monday. “Until now, we have not yet detected any BA.2 sub-variant here in the country,” DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an interview with CNN Philippines. According to Vergeire, the World Health Organization and other experts are still studying the latest version of Omicron, dubbed as BA.2. “Based on initial findings and based on observing patients who have this kind of sub-variant, there is not much difference with Omicron as to the severity of illness,” she said, adding the WHO has yet to determine if the sub-lineage is a variant of interest or concern. The sub-variant of the hyper-contagious Omicron has been detected in 40 countries, accounting for a majority of most recent cases in some nations including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, and India. The UK Health Security Agency designated the BA.2 sub-lineage as a variant under investigation as cases of it were rising. The authority underlined that “there is still uncertainty around the significance of the changes to the viral genome.” — Gaea Katreena Cabico with report from Agence France-Presse

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