Private hospitals across the Philippines are all geared up for the highly transmissible and immune evasive Omicron subvariant BQ.1 according to a health expert.

Following the detection of the new Omicron BQ.1 in the Philippines, Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) President Dr. Jose Rene de Grano disclosed that private hospitals in the country are prepared for this new Covid-19 strain.

“Walang pagkakaiba ang paghahanda dyan. iba’t-ibang hospital, pareho pa rin ang paghahandang ginagawa kahit anong subvariant ‘yan. So far, maayos at handa po ang mga hospital (There is no difference in preparing for that. In different hospitals, the preparation is still the same regardless of the subvariant. So far, the hospitals are well and ready),” said de Grano in an interview over DZBB on Sunday, Nov. 27.

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, Nov. 25, confirmed the detection of 14 BQ.1 cases in the country. Of the newly-detected infections, 13 are local cases recorded from Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Ilocos Region.

“As long as ang sintomas ay manatiling mild or at most moderate at wala tayong dapat ikabahala. Pero kapag dumami po ‘yan at kailangang i–ospital ang mga pasyente tulad noong nakaraang , ang magiging problema natin ay yung mga problema rin natin ngayon sa ng health workers lalo na ang mga nurses (As long as the symptoms remain mild or at most moderate, we have nothing to worry about. But when it increases and patients have to be hospitalized like in the previous surge, the problem we will have is the same problems that we face today with the lack of health workers, especially nurses)” the expert added.

Meanwhile, according to de Grano, Covid-19 admissions in the country are still “manageable” and “low” as the health care utilization remained at “low risk."