THE Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on July 12, 2022 that there are 12 new cases of three Covid-19 variants of concern in the Davao Region.
Ten individuals are positive with the BA.2.12.1, and one each with the BA.5 and BA.4 sub variants of coronavirus, as presented by DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire during a DOH media forum.
The detection was based on the latest whole genome sequencing (WGS) results covering the period of July 7 to 11, 2022.
“Sa kasalukuyan hindi pa natutukoy ang exposures (As of now the exposure is not yet determined) because of verification,” Vergeire said.
She added some of the cases also have mild symptoms but the majority are still being verified whether or not they have a severe case of the disease.
It was also not disclosed during the media forum which provinces exactly the cases were detected from but the DOH in Davao Region (DOH-Davao) said they are already coordinating with the local government units (LGU) for investigation.
“The DOH-Davao Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU) is closely coordinating with the concerned LGUs for intensive case investigation, and to ensure the case management is aligned with the interim guidelines in the management of emerging variants of concern,” the agency said in a statement on July 13.
Nationwide, 60 new cases with the BA.5 variants were detected wherein as of July 12, 43 are tagged as recovered, 14 are undergoing isolation, and three are being verified. In total, 293 cases were detected with the BA.5 variant.
BA.2.12.1 variant had 17 new cases, of which 15 are recovered and two are in isolation, for a total of 87 cases.
While BA.4 had two new cases wherein both are tagged as recovered. This variant had a total of 12 cases.
With this development, the DOH reminds the public to adhere to the “BIDA” minimum public health standards which include wearing the best-fitting mask, isolating when sick, double-up on protection with vaccines, and ensuring good airflow. ICM
