Physicians fear COVID-19 cases surge in May due to Omicron XE

The possible entry into the Philippines of "Omicron XE" subvariant and the low rate of booster  shot coverage of Filipinos have caused alarm among members of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP).

In an interview over Super Radyon dzBB  on Sunday, PCP president Dr. Maricar Limpin said the country may experinece a surge in COVID-19 cases in May due to the possible entry of Omicron XE. 

“Ang iniisip natin baka mga May tumaas dahil possible na baka pumasok dito Omicron sub-variant at pangalawa, medyo matumal ang booster,” Limpin said.

[We are concerned because first, the sub-variant might possibly enter our country, and second, our booster shot coverage against COVID-19 is still low.]

She said those have completed their primary vaccine series last year and have not yet received their booster shots may now have waning immunity. Thus, they are prone to coronavirus infection.

Latest data from the Department of Health show that some 12.2 million individuals have received their booster shots, and that at least  66.2 million Filipinos or about 74% of the government’s 90-million target population are already fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

While experts are not yet seeing an uptick in cases in the country at present,  Limpin warned that an uptick may be possible due to the entry of Omicron XE, which is linked to a more transmissible subvariant.

Moreover, she said that increased public mobility due to a more relaxed anti-COVID curbs under Alert Level 1, should be considered.

“Ang ineexpect natin sa dami ho ng taong nakalabas, tapos syempre ‘yung kampanya ngayon na nagyayari sa’tin, so ineexpect natin na kung makapasok dito yung bagong variant then definitely baka magkaron tayo ng muling pagtaas ng kaso,” she added.

[Since a lot of people are out and because of the ongoing election campaign period, we fear that COVID-19 cases will go up.]

Earlier, infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvana explained that the Omicron XE is “more concerning” among other Omicron subvariants because of its transmissibility. But it might not affect the efficacy of current anti-COVID vaccines available.

Another expert, Dr. Rontgene Solante, agreed with Salvana's assessment that current vaccines may still work against the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron sub-variants.

Booster card

PCP's Limpin reiterated her group's recommendation to keep a separate booster card, instead of putting an expiry date on the validity of vaccination cards, amid efforts to increase the booster shot coverage.

“Ang amin talagang nire-recommend ay magkaroon talaga ng separate na booster card. Unang una, kailangan nating ipahatid sa lahat mamamayang Pilipino na importante na makuha nila itong booster shots nila,” she said.

Limpin suggested that establishments -- restaurants and hotels -- start asking for their customers' booster cards instead of the primary vaccine cards.

An official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said last week that the government is considering setting a six-month expiration on vaccination cards to convince the public to take booster shots against COVID-19. —LBG, GMA News