Philippines detects 32 more Omicron BA.5 subvariant cases

The Philippines detected 32 more cases of the Omicron BA.5 subvariant on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases to 43.

Of these new cases, 21 are from Western Visayas, four each from Calabarzon and Metro Manila, and three from Central Luzon.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stated that 30 patients were fully vaccinated, one partially vaccinated, with the vaccination status of another patient still being verified.

The travel histories and close contacts of all cases are currently under investigation to determine if BA.5 is spreading at the community level.