Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 16) — There is a “very high” chance that Omicron will overwhelm the healthcare system, the Health chief warned, after the country reported its first two imported cases of this new variant of concern.
The cases – a Filipino and a Nigerian national – are in isolation, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
“Omicron is a very serious threat…It is starting to be clear that certainly [it is] more transmissible than the Delta variant. By how much more is it transmissible? Data is not yet conclusive,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in a briefing on Thursday.
“Data shows that perhaps it is mild. It is not really as virulent as Delta variant. But you have to understand that is also a numbers game. Even if it is mild, [it spreads] faster — the chances of our hospital system getting overwhelmed are very, very high when you have more people infected, especially those who are unvaccinated,” he added.
While Omicron’s effect on COVID-19 shots remains unclear, Duque said “the vaccines are still effective against severe, critical [disease], hospitalizations, and deaths” based on available data.
The secretary reiterated the importance of COVID-19 vaccination in light of the country’s imported Omicron cases.
Duque said the country is “very prepared” to handle this variant of concern. “This comes from the fact that last year when we had a surge…we did not have a single vaccine,” he added.
