detects first XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant...

the subvariant now also accounts for 66.4 percent of cases in the U.S., from January 29 to February 4 this year.

Nevertheless, despite the fear in transmissibility, the DOH noted that current available evidence do not suggest that XBB.1.5 has any differences in disease severity and clinical manifestations compared to the original Omicron variant

“Currently, the subvariant is still reported under XBB by the WHO and will remain classified under Omicron until sufficient evidence arises showing that the virus characteristics are significantly different from Omicron,” it added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the alarm about a new Omicron sub-variant, XBB.1.5, which has a higher transmission rate and could dramatically increase cases. WHO’s senior epidemiologist, Maria Van Kerkhove, has cautioned that the variant spreads quickly due to its mutations, making it easier to stick to cells and duplicate, which could lead to a spike in hospitalizations and deaths.

924 total Omicron subvariants reported DOH recently reported that 924 cases of Omicron subvariants were discovered in the latest genome sequencing results, with the majority belonging to the BA.2.3.20

1 strain at 454 cases, followed by 196 cases of XBB subvariants, 160 cases of unspecified Omicron subvariants, and 154 cases with no lineage specified.

The BA.5 strain still holds the title of the dominant strain in the country, with 12,716 cases already recorded. The BA.2.3.20 follows second, with a total of 4,626 cases. XBB subvariants account for 1,366 of the total cases, 705 are XBC, and 325 are BA.4.

These results paint a grim picture of the current pandemic situation, but all hope is not lost. With the latest genome sequencing results in hand, the DOH is confident that they can develop more effective measures to contain the spread of the virus. n