Philippines reports 618 new Omicron cases

Philippine health authorities reported 618 new Omicron variant cases on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed cases to 1,153.

Of these, 497 were local cases and 121 were returning overseas Filipinos; most of the local samples came from Metro Manila.

The Philippine Genome Center noted an increase in Omicron cases since early January, with BA.2 subvariant being more prevalent than BA.1.

The DOH stated that while they are investigating why BA.2 is more common, it does not significantly change the COVID-19 response.