Rappler
DOH projects COVID-19 cases to peak by end-January
The Department of Health (DOH) projects that the Philippines could reach the peak of its COVID-19 cases by the end of January, with the Omicron variant believed to be the main driver of the current surge.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stated that initial projections suggest Omicron is eight times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
Vergeire warned that the upcoming peak might see higher numbers than the Delta variant surge experienced last year.
The DOH is assuming that local transmission of the Omicron variant has already begun, following the confirmation of three local cases.
As of January 5, the Philippines has a total of 14 confirmed Omicron variant cases.
On January 5, the DOH reported 5,434 new infections, the highest since October 29.
The country's positivity rate has jumped to 30.79%, significantly above the World Health Organization's 5% benchmark, and the highest since September 7, 2021.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
COVID-19 cases in the Philippines could reach as high as 40,000 by mid-January if significant interventions are not implemented.
Read more →
Health experts suggest that the rapid rise in COVID-19 infections across the country could be attributed to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Read more →
The Philippines has confirmed 29 additional Omicron variant cases, increasing the country's total to 43, with 19 of these cases being local.
+1
Read more →
The Department of Health (DOH) is presuming that the Omicron variant wave has started to grow in the Philippines due to the daily doubling of COVID-19 cases.
Read more →
The Philippines is prepared to face a possible Omicron wave of COVID-19, according to Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega, the country's treatment czar.
Read more →