CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) assured the public that they are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation here following the emergence of a relatively new strain.
DOH-7, in a press conference on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, said protocols are still in place to detect and prevent the possible entry of the Omicron XE strain.
“Kita nagpadayun nga vigilant niini. Nagpadayun ta sa atong monitoring sa arrivals sa airport (Mactan-Cebu International Airport). Katong mga testing ug katong atong ILI (influenza-like illnesses) surveillance didto sa mga munisipyo,” said Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-7 director.
Central Visayas, and the entire Philippines for that matter, remain free from any confirmed cases of Omicron XE, believed to be a more contagious deviation of the Omicron variant.
Omicron XE has already been detected in several countries in Asia, and scientists suspect it could be driving the latest surges of COVID-19 infection.
“Wala pa tay nakita (nga Omicron XE) dinhe sa Pilipinas. Hopefully di ni muabot sa Pilipinas kay mao ning hinungdan nagsaka nasab ang kaso didto sa mga neighboring countries dinhe sa Southeast Asia,” Bernadas explained.
While the country has not detected any cases of the Omicron XE, DOH-7 reiterated the public, particularly unvaccinated individuals, to get inoculated.
According to Bernadas, vaccination will not only serve as protection from COVID-related hospitalization but will also deter the SARS-CoV-2 virus from developing more strains.
He also urged local government officials to observe minimum health protocols such as proper wearing of face masks and social distancing during political sorties as the May 9, 2022 elections draw near.
“Labi na sa atong kalihokan paingon sa kampyana ug eleksyon sa Mayo, awhag nato atong local government partners nga sila mismo manguna sa paglikay arun malikayan sab musaka balik ug taas ang mga kaso. Kay mao lagi makadevelop ug bagong strain sa COVID,” he explained.
Central Visayas continue to observe a downward trend in the number of new COVID-19.
Based on the latest bulletin from DOH-7, there are only 807 active cases of the infection as of April 4. The region only recorded four new infected patients.
/bmjo
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