MANILA — The Philippines has detected its first 4 cases of the BF.7 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus, the Department of Health reported on Friday.

According to the agency, BF.7 is said to be a sublineage of the globally dominant BA.5 and has been flagged by researchers “due to its potential to be more transmissible than the wild type BA.5 and immune evading properties.”

But available evidence for the new sublineage does not seem to suggest worse disease severity compared to the original omicron subvariant.

“The Department of Health reiterates the need to put more emphasis on other factors such as wearing of best-fitting face masks, isolating when sick, doubling-up protection via vaccines and boosters, and ensuring good airflow because these are the measures that we can address and control, rather than focusing on the presence of a transmissible variant,” the DOH said in a statement.

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Based on data from the DOH, COVID-19 cases have been on a plateau from Dec. 16 to 22 at 973 or 5 percent lower compared to the week prior.

Healthcare utilization remains to be low risk at 21.73 percent, while severe and critical admissions make up 10.57 percent of total COVID-19 related admissions.

“With the expected increase in mobility during the holiday season, projections made by the FASSSTER team estimate daily cases in the country to reach 4,114 by January 15. In this scenario, severe and critical admissions are expected to reach 2,252 admissions by mid-January as well,” said the agency.

It urged local governments to continue vaccination efforts and increase the coverage of booster doses especially among the vulnerable population.

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