Philippines detects 3 more Arcturus cases, total now 4

The Philippines has detected three additional cases of the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 (Arcturus), bringing the total number of confirmed cases to four, all found in Western Visayas.

XBB.1.16 is capable of evading immunity and appears more contagious than previous variants.

The DOH reported an increasing number of local transmissions with no known international linkages or exposure history.

As of May 10, the daily average of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines was 1,533, a 75% increase from the previous week.