DOH reports 17 more Arcturus cases, total now at 28

Philippine health authorities reported 17 more cases of the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, bringing the total to 28.

The new cases were distributed across various regions with seven in Western Visayas and five in Davao Region.

PAGASA has classified XBB.1.16 as a variant of interest due to its ability to evade immunity and higher transmissibility compared to other variants.

Additionally, the DOH reported 101 cases of XBB.1.9 subvariant, 25 XBB.1.5, 17 XBB.1.9.2, and 29 infections classified as 'other XBB sublineages'.

Local transmission of XBB.1.16 has been confirmed in the Philippines.