MANILA – Philippine health authorities said a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant called “BA.2.12” reached the country after a 52-year-old Finnish woman who arrived here from Finland carried the virus.
The
woman, who was fully vaccinated, arrived last month and had travelled to a
university in Quezon City and then to Baguio City where she conducted seminars.
But nine days after her arrival, she experienced a headache and sore throat and
was tested positive for Covid-19.
Health
authorities said the woman was isolated for seven days until she recovered and
eventually discharged and returned to Finland on April 21. Contact tracing
continues even up to now.
Scientists
are still characterizing these Omicron sub-lineages in terms of
transmissibility and whether they can cause more severe disease. Preliminary
data have shown that their mutations are associated with higher
transmissibility.
The
Department of Health has assured the public that the country’s surveillance
systems are able to detect new cases and characterize their lineage.
At present there are
a number of Omicron sub-lineages, including BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5 and
another recombinant detected, made up of BA.1 and BA.2, according to World
Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
That recombinant
is called XE and, until today, was the newest more-transmissible
variant raising concern, but the
sub-variants BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 which are sub-lineages of the
BA.2 variant are spreading rapidly around the world. (Mindanao Examiner)
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