OCTA: New Omicron subvariants might trigger up to 10,000 COVID-19 cases daily
MANILA, Philippines — OCTA Research said Wednesday that new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines may reach up to 10,000 a day once new Omicron subvariants enter the country.
“We might be seeing 5,000 to 10,000 cases per day but nowhere near the 40,000 we saw back in January,” OCTA Research fellow Guido David said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
He, however, said the entry of new Omicron subvariants is not projected to “trigger a major threat of an outbreak.”
“Based on the data we’re seeing, the presentation is not that much different from Omicron, and the characteristics are not that much different, which means most cases will most likely be mild,” David said, adding authorities might not need to raise alert levels if the country records only 5,000 cases per day.
“We’d like to remind our kababayans that even though this will likely be mild for vaccinated people, it may not be mild necessarily for unvaccinated people or those with comorbidities,” he added.
The OCTA Research fellow urged those who remain unvaccinated to get jabbed and those who are eligible for boosters to get additional protection, and follow public health safeguards, especially during the election season.
The firm’s projections are still preliminary, according to David who said they are monitoring trends in South Africa, India and the United States.
The Department of Health earlier warned there could be half a million active cases in Metro Manila by mid-May if people continue to disregard public health standards.
Data from the DOH showed that the number of active cases nationwide was 11,580 as of April 26. From April 12 to 24, the agency logged 1,465 additional infections, or an average of 209 cases per day.
Since the start of the pandemic, the country has registered over 3.68 million COVID-19 cases, with 60,195 deaths.
Follow this page for updates on the new COVID-19 variant, dubbed Omicron and originally detected in South Africa. Photo courtesy of the The STAR/Miguel de Guzman
The EU's drug regulator is expected to authorise the first Covid-19 vaccines for the Omicron variant, although they do not target the latest strains.
The adapted vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will be discussed during an extraordinary meeting of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
European nations have been keen to rush through the new generation of jabs so they can start booster campaigns ahead of a feared Covid surge this winter.
The two so-called "bivalent" vaccines protect against the earlier BA.1 strain of Omicron, as well as the original Covid virus that emerged in China in 2019. — AFP
The Department of Health says an emerging Omicron subvariant, BA 2.75, had been detected in two individuals from Western Visayas.
The Department of Health confirms the detection of the COVID-19 Omicron subvariant BA.5 in the Philippines.
The DOH says two individuals from the same household in Central Luzon tested posiive with the subvariant.
Both patients have unknown exposure and have no travel history.
The first cases of Omicron BA.2.12.1 COVID-19 variant have been detected in the National Capital Region and Palawan, the Department of Health says.
The first two cases in NCR have both received their booster shot and are now tagged as asymptomatic and recovered after completing home isolation.
Meanwhile, 14 tourists and 1 local tested positive in Puerto Princesa City on April 29. All cases are now asymptomatic.
North Korea on Thursday confirms its first-ever case of Covid-19, with state media calling it a "severe national emergency incident" after more than two years of keeping the pandemic at bay.
The official KCNA news agency says the case was "consistent with" the virus' highly transmissible Omicron variant. — AFP
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