Covid-19: Philippines detects first two cases of Omicron variant

The Philippines has detected two imported cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant of concern, its first reported cases, the Department of Health said on Wednesday.

The two Omicron variant cases, detected from 48 samples sequenced on December 14, were currently isolated in a quarantine facility, it said in a statement.

The cases were reported in a 37-year-old male foreigner from Nigeria and a 48-year-old Filipino male from Japan who arrived on November 30 and December 1, respectively. Both are asymptomatic.

“At present, active case finding and contact tracing are being conducted to determine the health condition of co-passengers of the confirmed cases,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a statement.

Nograles said the government is closely monitoring the “developments” of the two Omicron cases.

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The Philippines reported fewer than 500 daily cases since December 10 and fewer than 1,000 since November 24, with the highest one day tally recorded on September 11 at 26,303 cases.

More than 23 million people out of a total population of around 110 million have been tested since the coronavirus outbreak.

• Philippines