DOH confirms 3 new Arcturus cases in Western Visayas

The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed three new local cases of the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, also known as Arcturus, in Western Visayas.

This brings the total number of Arcturus cases in the Philippines to four, with the first case being from Iloilo and has since recovered.

The World Health Organization designated Arcturus as a variant of interest due to its potential to evade immunity and increased transmissibility.

However, the DOH assures the public that current evidence does not indicate any changes in disease severity or clinical manifestations compared to the original Omicron variant.

The DOH also detected 197 new cases of other Omicron subvariants, including 156 classified as XBB and its sublineages.

Meanwhile, the DOH COVID-19 cases continued to increase, with a daily average of 1,533 cases as of May 10, a 75 percent rise from the previous week, similar to numbers seen in July 2022.