Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 3) — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said the country has not yet detected any case of the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, which is feared to potentially drive a new COVID-19 surge in the United States.
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In a statement, the DOH said it is confident in detecting new variants that may enter the country and assured the public of the government’s continued COVID-19 surveillance and monitoring activities.
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“The DOH further reiterates that COVID-19 variants will continue to emerge and re-emerge. What’s important is we continue to employ our layers of protection such as sanitation, masking, distancing, vaccination and boosters, as well as good ventilation to keep cases manageable and prevent virus transmission,” it said.
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Citing Dr. David Ho, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University, CNN reported that XBB.1.5 has the potential to escape immunity from vaccination and past infections.
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It also said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that the subvariant has caused 41% of new infections in the US by end-December. Meanwhile, in the northeastern part of the country, the CDC estimated that XBB.1.5 is causing 75% of new cases.
