MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Following the discovery of the country’s first case of the Omicron BA.2.12 subvariant, which “spreads faster,” the Department of Health (DOH) recommended the public obtain their COVID-19 booster shots as soon as possible.

“Omicron BA.2.12 reminds us that the virus is still out there, and the cases can go up the moment we let our guard down,” the Department of Health said in a public advisory.

“Initial findings and data suggest that Omicron BA.2.12 spreads faster. There is currently no evidence that it can cause more severe disease,” the DOH said in a public health advisory.

The DOH stated that Omicron BA.2.12 spreads faster, according to preliminary studies and statistics but there is currently no proof that it can lead to more severe disease.

The Department of Health advised eligible individuals to get their booster shots as soon as possible because the primary series of the Covid-19 vaccines has been shown to decrease over time.

Apart from pushing booster vaccination, the DOH also recommended unvaccinated people get the primary series of anti-COVID shots.

First Omicron BA.2.12 case in the Philippines

The Department of Health announced on Wednesday that a 52-year-old Finnish woman came from Finland on April 2 and tested positive for the BA.2.12 Omicron subvariant.

The woman had 44 close encounters in total: nine in Quezon City, five in Benguet, and 30 on the plane to Manila.

She has already recovered and back to her homeland on April 21, according to the Department of Health.

Omicron BA.2.12 has not yet been designated as a variation of interest or concern by the World Health Organization. According to preliminary research, BA.2.12 is  20% more transmittable than BA.2, the most common subvariant of Omicron in the Philippines and the rest of the world.  – WhatALife! 

Source: (pna.gov.ph)

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Also read: Philippines identifies 1st case of BA.2.12 Omicron subvariant traced in Baguio City