Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) — Despite the rise in active COVID-19 cases, experts see no reason to be concerned about hospitals filling up due to the highly transmissible Arcturus subvariant as patients show no signs of critical symptoms.
Speaking to CNN Philippines’ The Final Word, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said rising cases may be due to the spreading XBB.1.16 subvariant, or the Arcturus, but the upward trend is not “overly concerning.”
“We’re not overly concerned about rising hospitalizations but I think people should do their best not to still get the virus because it is still a hassle to get this specific variant,” he said.
OCTA reported that the COVID-19 positivity rate in Metro Manila increased to 12.3% from 8.1% a week ago.
NCR 7-day positivity rate went up to 12.3% from 8.1% a week ago. #Arcturus #Covid #covid19 @dzbb @DZAR1026 pic.twitter.com/YZtWK5Z8jj
— Dr. Guido David (@iamguidodavid) April 26, 2023
The World Health Organization has tagged the Arcturus as a “subvariant of interest” as it caused an uptick in cases among 31 countries globally.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante told reporters that “there is no signal of [the] variant to cause an increase in severity.”
“It is expected that hospitalization and mortality will remain low except for the vulnerable populations like the elderly, the immunocompromised, and those with comorbidities,” he added.
The experts also said the new bivalent vaccines will play an important role in preventing severe symptoms among individuals.
