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Omicron likely causing spike in COVID-19 infections: OCTA
Health experts suggest that the rapid rise in COVID-19 infections across the country could be attributed to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David noted that approximately 60% of recent genome sequencing samples, as of January 2, indicated the presence of the Omicron variant.
He anticipates further genome sequencing will confirm Omicron's dominance, and suggests international travelers who broke quarantine may have caused the local spread.
Dr. Ted Herbosa, special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, recommended assuming the surge is primarily due to Omicron, as observed transmission patterns align with its behavior.
The Philippines received an additional 2.7 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine from the US government through the COVAX Facility on Sunday.
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An infectious disease expert suggests that local transmission of the Omicron variant is highly probable due to the significant increase in new COVID-19 cases.
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The Philippines has confirmed 29 additional Omicron variant cases, increasing the country's total to 43, with 19 of these cases being local.
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The Omicron variant may soon replace the Delta variant as the dominant COVID-19 variant in the Philippines, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
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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.
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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.
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