DOH logs 22 new Arcturus cases, total reaches 265

The Department of Health (DOH) reported 22 new cases of the coronavirus omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 in Western Visayas on Friday, June 23, bringing the total number of local 'Arcturus' cases to 265.

In addition, the DOH recorded 80 more Omicron subvariants across the Philippines on Wednesday, June 21, with most cases (73) in Western Visayas and seven in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

The latest biosurveillance report also noted that XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 are considered variants of interest by the World Health Organization due to their ability to evade immunity and higher transmissibility.