MANILA (UPDATE) - Three more cases of the COVID-19 omicron BA.5 subvariant were detected in the latest genome sequencing, raising its total to 5, the Department of Health said Tuesday.

• Philippines detects first 2 cases of omicron BA.5 subvariant

Two of the patients were from Calabarzon while the location of the remaining case is still being verified, according to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

The patient with unknown location is fully vaccinated, while one case from Calabarzon is unvaccinated. Authorities are checking the inoculation status of the remaining patient, Vergeire said.

The sample of one of the cases was collected on May 12, while the rest were collected on May 23, the spokesperson added.

All patients have been tagged as recovered while the health agency is looking into the symptoms they experienced and their close contacts, Vergeire said.

• DOH: ‘Very high’ possibility BA.5 subvariant already locally transmitted

"Nais linawin ng DOH hindi po directly related ang bahagyang pagtaas ng kaso sa pagpasok ng mga bagong variants na ito," she told reporters.

(The DOH would like to clarify that the entry of these new subvariants is not directly related to the slight increase in COVID cases.)

"Upang hindi na po ito tumaas at manatili tayo sa low risk, patuloy tayong sumunod sa minimum public health standards at magpabakuna at magpa-booster sa lalong madaling panahon."

(Let's continue to follow minimum public health standards and get vaccinated and boosted so these cases won't keep rising and we could keep our low-risk classification.)

• Philippines detects 5 more cases of omicron BA.2.12.1 in Western Visayas

Video courtesy of the Department of Health

Omicron BA.2.12.1 subvariant cases total 29

Seven more cases of the BA.2.12.1 subvariant were also detected in the latest genome sequencing run composed of 190 samples on June 6, Vergeire said. This brings the total number of cases of the subvariant nationwide to 29.

Three of the new cases were from Metro Manila and there was one each from Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Calabzron, and Bicol region, according to Vergeire.

Three patients were fully vaccinated, 3 were unvaccinated, while the inoculation status of the remaining patient is still being verified, Vergeire said.

Of the total samples sequenced, 114 or 60 percent were omicron, 14 or 7.4 percent were delta, one had 'other lineages,' and 61 had no lineage, Vergeire added.

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