DOH exec: Omicron variant infects households more than Delta

The Department of Health said Thursday the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 infects households more than the Delta variant.

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje made the reminder a day after the Health department confirmed at least two cases of Omicron variant in the Philippines.

"The Omicron variant targets households more. There are studies showing that 19% of households were infected by Omicron as compared with 8.5% for Delta," Cabotaje said during the Laging Handa briefing.

"That is why it is important for all the people in the household to get vaccinated because the vaccine provides another layer of protection and it really decreases the COVID-19 infection rate," she added.

Cabotaje then said that there are also studies in the United Kingdom showing that the elderly and the children of the unvaccinated adults appear to be at risk of the Omicron variant.

"Those already covered by the vaccination program should really get vaccinated so as to protect the children who are not yet eligible for vaccination," she added.

The government's COVID-19 vaccination program started last March 1, but the vaccination for those aged 12 to 17 and the administration of booster shots only started last month.

At least 42 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, which is still short of the target 54 million Filipinos fully vaccinated by year end.

The government is implementing a second round of three-day national vaccination event from December 15 to 17 to ramp up its inoculation efforts and is expecting to administer seven million doses within those three days.

The Duterte administration is eyeing to fully vaccinate 77 million people against COVID-19 by March 2022 and 90 million by June 2022.—AOL, GMA News