The Department of Health (DOH) has reported seven more cases of Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, raising the country’s tally to 11.
The seven local XBB.1.16 cases were found in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Western Visayas, Mimaropa, Bicol Region and Central Luzon, the DOH said in its latest COVID-19 biosurveillance report.
XBB.1.16, also known as “Arcturus,” is a descendent lineage of XBB, a recombinant of two BA.2 descendant lineages.
The DOH previously said the strain is capable of evading immunity and appears to be more contagious than previous variants.
The Health department has also said there is local transmission of XBB.1.16 since there is an increasing number of cases of the variant with no links to international cases or no known history of exposure.
The World Health Organization designated the XBB.1.16 as a variant of interest in April following a sustained increase in its prevalence. It has so far spread to dozens of countries.
Also over the weekend, former adviser to the government on COVID-19 Dr. Anthony Leachon said he agrees with the authorities to give people the right to choose whether or not to use face masks.
When people are informed, he said that they learn to take care of themselves and learn to adjust their behavior and habits, he said.
“We should continue to educate them since we are in the age of fake news , misinformation and disinformation. People are gullible and they are excited to go back to normalcy,” he said.
“But nothing is easy. It will take time and patience. We just need to be resilient and strong,” Leachon said.