ILOILO City – Western Visayas logged its three first cases of Omicron subvariant BA. 2.12.1, two of which were deemed local transmissions from the municipalities of Pavia and Zarraga in Iloilo province while the other case was a returning overseas Filipino (ROF).
Omicron is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The Department of Health (DOH) described the Omicron subvariant BA. 2.12.1 as highly transmissible.
A COVID-19 case is deemed a local transmission if it could not be epidemiologically linked to cases with significant international travel history.
One of the two local cases was a 69-year-old male. He was hospitalized in Iloilo province on May 5 and underwent a swab test on May 6.
His COVID-19-positive specimen was subsequently subjected to genome sequencing on May 12 and his having the Omicron sub-variant BA. 2.12.1 was confirmed.
The patient was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital yesterday.
The other local case was a 66-year-old male. He was hospitalized in Iloilo City on May 7. He was swabbed that same day, tested positive for COVD-19 and his specimen was also genome-sequenced at the Philippine Genome Center – Visayas (at the University of the Philippines Visayas in Miag-ao, Iloilo).
As this was being written, this case was still in an undisclosed hospital.
It was Iloilo Provincial Health Office chief Dr. Socorro Quiñon who confirmed that the local cases were from Pavia and Zarraga.
She said the Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (PESU) launched an “investigation” on these local transmissions.
According to DOH, the most recent evidence indicates that Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 is highly transmissible due to additional mutations, compared to the original Omicron strain. While this sublineage has so far not been observed to lead to more severe disease or fatality, it has the potential for immune escape.
Meanwhile, the ROF Omicron sub-variant BA. 2.12.1 case was a 60-year-old female with history of travel to the United States.
She returned to the country on April 20. She left Manila via Cebu and arrived in Iloilo City on April 25.
She underwent swab testing on April 27 after exhibiting mild COVID-19 symptoms. Her specimen genome sequencing result was released on May 16.
The case was subjected to home quarantine from April 29 to May 11 and is presently deemed as recovered. She is also fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
One of her three identified close contacts was tested and the result came out negative for COVID-19. The two other contacts were being closely monitored.
According to DOH-6 Director III Dr. Ma. Sophia Pulmones, the concerned local government units have launched contact tracing and/or backtracking.
Symptomatic close contacts shall undergo reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests and isolation.
On the other hand, the asymptomatic close contacts shall undergo quarantine for at least five days if fully vaccinated and 14 days if partially vaccinated or unvaccinated.
The public is advised to continue adhering to the minimum public health standards such as wearing of facemask, physical distancing, frequent hand washing, and avoiding crowded spaces.
DOH-6 is also encouraging the eligible population to avail themselves of free COVID-19 vaccination.
There are now a total of 17 confirmed cases of Omicron sub-variant BA. 2.12.1 in the country, the DOH central office announced yesterday and this already included the three cases in Western Visayas.
“Now that we have local transmission of Omicron BA.2.12.1, we must act fast. We are asking our health facilities and local government units to actively look for cases. Immediate isolation is advised for any person who has fever, cough, colds, sore or itchy throat, and other COVID-like signs and symptoms,” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire./PN
