The Department of Health said it is bracing for a possible spike in COVID-19 cases now that the rapidly-spreading Omicron subvariant JN.1 has entered the country.
“Because of the holiday travel and because of the interactions of people who have now gone out of their homes… we are bracing for a similar situation [as in other countries where JN.1 has been driving up infections],” Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
Tayag, however, said there is still no surge in hospital admissions and no reported severe cases of JN.1 in the country.
The subvariant JN.1 now makes up 44.2 percent of the COVID-19 cases in the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
CDC data estimates indicated the quickly spreading variant is now causing almost half of infections nationwide, when just days ago it was estimated that JN.1 caused only about 20 percent of infections.
Globally, JN.1 continued to be reported in multiple countries, and its prevalence has been rapidly increasing.
The DOH, after confirming the first 18 cases of JN.1 in the Philippines, urged Filipinos to observe multiple layers of protection, including masking up, ensuring good airflow and adequate ventilation, and getting vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Boracay Island in Aklan is not enforcing any restrictions yet despite the increasing cases of COVID-19 and flu-like illnesses nationwide, Malay Mayor Floribar Bautista said Tuesday.
“As of now we don’t have any adjustments or new health protocols because we haven’t discussed the rising number of COVID cases yet. For now we don’t have any restrictions regarding COVID-19 in Boracay,” Bautista said.
For his part, Senator Christopher Go, chairperson of the Senate committee on health and demography, urged Filipinos to maintain heightened vigilance amid a spike in influenza-like illnesses or ILI.
“Each one of us needs to be more vigilant and responsible in our daily activities. Let us be reminded of the importance of health and concern to others. This is an important gift during this holiday season,” he said.
According to the latest Disease Surveillance Report of the DOH, there were 193,148 cases of ILI from Jan. 1 to Nov. 25, a notable 50 percent increase from the 128,386 cases reported during the same period in the previous year.