PH logs first 10 cases of EG.5 COVID-19 subvariant
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) reported early on Thursday the first 10 cases of COVID-19 Omicron subvariant EG.5.
This is reflected in the latest DOH bio-surveillance report reflecting genome sequencing results from July 14 to 25.
The World Health Organization classifies EG.5 as a variant under monitoring (VUM).
According to the DOH, the VUM refers to a SARS-COV-2 variant “with genetic changes that are suspected to affect virus characteristics and early signals of growth advantage relative to other circulating variants.”
However, the DOH pointed out that the EG.5 variant “does not suggest any differences in disease severity and/or clinical manifestations compared to the original Omicron variant.”
As of Wednesday, the Philippines recorded 4,172,169 cases of COVID-19, including 4,768 active cases, 4,100,846 recoveries, and 66,555 deaths, according to DOH.
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