There is already a “localized community transmission” of both the Omicron subvariant XBB and XBC variant of the Covid-19 virus in some regions of the country, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.
A localized community transmission of Omicron subvariant XBB has been observed in Western Visayas and the same for the XBC variant in Davao region and Soccsksargen, said DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea De Guzman in a media forum on Friday, Oct. 21.
“Definitely there is local transmission dahil lahat ito ay local cases. Ibig sabihin hindi natin sila nalilink to either may mga travel ito (because these are all local cases. It means we cannot link them to either travel) outside of the Philippines or may exposure ito (or they have exposure) from someone who have recently traveled outside of the Philippines,” she explained.
“Ibig sabihin either wala silang connection as to time or place to each other kaya nasasabi natin na localized may community transmission na tayo. (That means either they have no connection as to time or place to each other–so we can say that there is localized community transmission),” she added.
Meanwhile, De Guzman said there is not enough evidence to confirm localized community transmission in other regions with cases of both XBB and XBC at this point.
“In the other regions, we don't have enough evidence to support kasi may isa lang, may apat lang, lima lang na nakikita (that because only one, four, or five cases were seen),” she said.
“Hindi pa natin masabi na it is a nationwide or wide scale community transmission (We cannot yet say that it is a nationwide or wide scale community transmission),” she noted.
Earlier, the DOH announced 60 local cases of Omicron XBB subvariant in Western Visayas while one local case was detected in Davao region. For the XBC variant, 38 local cases were found in Soccsksargen, 27 in Davao region, five in Western Visayas, and one in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“Whether there is evidence or not of a large-scale community transmission, our actions would always be with the assumption na meron ng community transmission na nangyayari kaya ini-enhance na natin ang ating mga (that there is community transmission happening, so we are enhancing our) response activities from the national down to the local levels,” said De Guzman said.
The DOH detected the country’s first cases of these Covid-19 variants last Oct. 18.
To note, the Omicron subvariant XBB was first detected in India last August. It is a recombinant of two Omicron subvariants. It has been detected in at least 24 countries, the DOH said.
On the other hand, the XBC variant is a recombinant of the Omicron BA.2 and Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. It is still under monitoring and investigation. “The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centers for Disease Control (ECDC) are yet to determine the risk this variant poses,” the DOH said.