Higher number of COVID-19 cases possible if Omicron variant enters PH---DOH exec

There is a possibility that the country may see a higher number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases if the Omicron variant reaches the Philippines, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.

“That’s one possibility,” said DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea De Guzman on Tuesday, Dec. 14.

"We may actually reach peaks higher than Alpha, Beta, and Delta last April and September," she added.

As of now, the Philippines remain free from the Omicron coronavirus variant, said De Guzman.

“Omicron is not yet present locally or not yet present among our returning overseas Filipinos,” she said.

De Guzman said that such a scenario is possible given the initial findings in the characteristics of the Omicron variant.

“Ang Delta possible siyang manghawa ng six to eight cases. Pero pagdating sa Omicron posibleng umabot ng 10 cases yung mahawaan niya (Delta is likely to infect six to eight individuals. But when it comes to Omicron, it is possible that it can infect up to 10 people),” she said.

“But again, these are initial findings. We really need to get more data kung ganun ba talaga ka-transmissible (on whether it is really transmissible) or is it just as transmissible as Delta. But right now the data is it’s more transmissible than Delta,” she added.

To note, the Philippines logged its highest single day tally of COVID-19 cases last Sept. 11, wherein 26,303 infections were detected amid the spread of the Delta variant.

However, this scenario can be avoided if- the public will continue to adhere to the minimum public health standards. “ remains effective against any variant,” she said.

De Guzman also underscored the importance of further improving the health system as well as the testing and isolation capacities. Lastly, vaccination will also help in mitigating the effects of this new variant, she said.