Covid-19 subvariant Omicron BN.1 has been detected in the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Thursday, Dec. 29.
The DOH said that two cases have been found, based on the latest genome sequencing conducted by the University of the Philippines - Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC).
The BN.1 is a sublineage of BA.2.75 and is currently a "variant under monitoring," the DOH said, citing the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
"The variant was initially flagged by the researchers due to its increasing prevalence and mutations that may lead to enhanced immune evasion," the DOH said.
"However, currently available evidence for BN.1 does not suggest any differences in disease severity and/or clinical manifestations compared to the original Omicron variant," it added.
Thursday’s cases
A total of 619 new Covid-19 cases were logged on Thursday, as shown in the latest DOH data.
The National Capital Region (NCR) still occupied the top spot among the regions with the most cases in the recent two weeks with 3,983 cases.
It was followed by Calabarzon with 1,776, Central Luzon with 874, Western Visayas with 480, and Ilocos Region with 346.
Since 2020, the Philippines has already recorded a total of 4,063,316, including 3,984,159 recoveries and 65,332 fatalities.