Manila Bulletin
Expert agrees with DOH's 9k case projection by end of September, says it's still preventable
An infectious disease expert warned that the daily average of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines could rise to 9,000 by the end of September, primarily driven by the Omicron BA.5 subvariant.
The Department of Health (DOH) has already recorded 139 new cases of the BA.5 subvariant as of August 26.
Dr. Rontgene Solante, an infectious disease expert, expressed agreement with the projection, noting that the slow decline in cases suggests a potential resurgence.
Solante characterized BA.5 as the most immune-evasive Omicron subvariant, capable of infecting individuals who are fully vaccinated and have had prior infections.
The BA.5 subvariant has been prevalent in the Philippines for four to six weeks and is the globally dominant variant, accounting for 70-75% of positive cases in most countries.
He emphasized that an increase in cases due to Omicron BA.5 can be mitigated if the eligible population gets their booster shots.
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The Department of Health (DOH) projects a daily increase of up to 9,000 COVID-19 cases by the end of September to October, should minimum health protocols not be strictly followed.
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The Philippines has detected an additional 656 cases of Omicron subvariants of COVID-19, as reported by the Department of Health (DOH).
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