MANILA — The Philippines has detected 901 additional cases of highly contagious offshoots of the omicron COVID-19 variant, the Department of Health said Tuesday.

The country found 839 new cases of the omicron BA.5, 11 more cases of the BA.4, one case each of BA.2.75 and BA.2.12.1, and 49 tagged as "other sublineages," latest figures from DOH show.

Of the new BA.5 cases, many were found in Metro Manila (182), Western Visayas (135), and Cordillera Administrative Region (116).

Most of the new BA.4 cases, meanwhile, were reported in Soccsksargen (7).

The new BA.2.75 case was logged in Metro Manila, and the BA.2.12.1 case was detected from a returning overseas Filipino.

Two new Delta cases were also found in Metro Manila and Calabarzon, the DOH said.

These are results of the latest sequencing run conducted from Sept. 9 to 12, the agency said.

• PH records 17,145 COVID cases, 354 deaths in past week

While previous "variants of concern" like Alpha and Delta eventually petered out, omicron and its sublineages have dominated throughout 2022.

The BA.4 and BA.5 types have in particular helped to drive a wave of new cases of the disease in Europe and the United States in recent months.

All omicron variants tend to have a milder disease course as they settle less in the lungs and more in the upper nasal passages, causing symptoms like fever, tiredness, and loss of smell.

• PH records 15,379 COVID cases, 300 deaths in past week

In the past week, the Philippines logged 15,379 new COVID-19 cases, according to the DOH.

From Sept. 5 to 11, the country recorded an average of 2,197 daily infections, which is 10 percent lower compared to the previous week.

Of the 3,908,295 total coronavirus infections recorded in the Philippines as of Monday, 25,262 are active cases, data from the DOH showed.

The DOH also verified 300 more COVID-related fatalities. The death toll stood at 62,342, as of Monday.

Some 72.7 million Filipinos or 93.18 of the target population have so far been fully vaccinated against the respiratory disease.

Of the figure, about 18.5 million have received their first booster dose while around 2.4 million have gotten their second booster shots.

The government on Monday has allowed the optional wearing of face masks among low-risk people in open spaces and outdoor settings amid the pandemic.

• Marcos allows voluntary face mask use outdoors

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— With a report from Agence France-Presse