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Philippines confirms transmission of Omicron subvariant

Three cases detected in the Western Visayas Region

Published: Tue 17 May 2022, 4:55 PM

Updated: Tue 17 May 2022, 4:57 PM

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AP

AP

The Philippine health ministry on Tuesday confirmed the local transmission of the Omicron coronavirus BA.2.12.1 subvariant.

Three cases of the subvariant were detected in the Western Visayas Region.

In an online media forum, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the new subvariant cases are no longer related to the cases from other countries.

“The linkages of the detected cases can still be seen. This is not yet a community transmission where the linkages of each case can’t be traced anymore),” she was quoted in a Philippine News Agency report .

Among the cases was one of an overseas Filipino who had come from the US, while and the other two were local cases. Two of the cases were fully vaccinated.

"Now that we have local transmission of Omicron BA.2.12.1, we must act fast," Vergeire said, urging local government units to "actively look for cases and immediately isolate" suspected cases.

She said there is no community transmission yet in the country, according to another report.

As of Tuesday, the Philippines has detected 17 cases of BA.2.12.1. Of the total, 16 are locally acquired while one is an overseas Filipino.

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