DOH: No cases of Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 detected in PH

No cases of the highly contagious Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 have been detected in the country, according to the Department of Health on Tuesday.

"The DOH assures the public that [the] government continues to implement COVID-19 surveillance and monitoring activities, and is confident in detecting potential variants that may enter the country," the Health Department said in a statement.

"To date, there are currently no cases of XBB.1.5 detected in the country," it added.

The DOH reiterated that COVID-19 variants will "continue to emerge and re-emerge."

"What's important is we continue to employ our layers of protection, such as sanitation, masking, distancing, vaccination, and boosters, as well as good ventilation, to keep cases manageable and prevent virus transmission," it said.

Based on the data of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 40% of COVID-19 cases in the US were caused by XBB.1.5, with the subvariant doubling from the previous week, according to a report from Reuters.

Health experts also expressed concern about the increasing COVID-19 cases in China, as several infectious disease experts were worried about the XBB.1.5 variant, the report said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News