Following the detection of Omicron subvariant BQ.1, the Department of Health (DOH) said that the Philippines’ healthcare utilization rate remains at low-risk category.
“The DOH assured that the country’s healthcare utilization rate remains at low risk.” the state health agency said in a statement on Saturday, Nov. 26.
Hospitals in the country are also prepared in the event that another increase in Covid-19 cases occur, the DOH said.
“Preparatory activities have already been initiated to ensure that triage systems are in place and step-down health facilities are available should an increase in healthcare utilization rates be observed,” it said.
Moreover, the DOH said that all vaccines are effective in preventing death as well as severe and critical Covid-19,regardless of variant.
“As of now, all our vaccines continue to be effective against severe cases caused by detected variants,” said DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire.
“This is why we continue to appeal to our kababayans to get vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19 on top of other layers of protection, to minimize transmission and in effect, the emergence of new variants,” she added.
On Friday, Nov. 25, the DOH announced 14 cases of the Omicron subvariant BQ.1 of the coronavirus.
Vergeire said that this subvariant “is more transmissible and highly immune-evasive compared to other subvariants of Omicron.”