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Omicron subvariant XBB may be in Philippines already due to open borders —health expert
An infectious disease expert suggested that the Omicron subvariant XBB may have already entered the Philippines due to eased border restrictions and daily flights with Singapore.
He noted that the limited number of samples being sequenced makes it difficult to confirm its presence, but acknowledged that the variant has not yet been detected by the Philippine Genome Center.
The Department of Health previously stated that XBB has not been detected in the country and that preliminary studies indicate it has a higher immune evasion ability than BA.5.
While XBB can infect individuals with existing antibodies, it has not overwhelmed healthcare facilities in Singapore, according to the expert.
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The Philippines has identified 81 cases of the Omicron XBB subvariant and 193 cases of the XBC variant of COVID-19.
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Health experts are urging Filipinos to get their booster shots following the confirmation of the Omicron subvariant XBB and the XBC variant in the country.
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The Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,379 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, October 19, bringing the total active cases nationwide to 23,347.
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The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed localized community transmission of the Omicron XBB subvariant and the XBC variant in specific regions of the Philippines.
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The Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,883 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, October 13, bringing the total number of infections to 3,975,884.
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