Philippines detects first Omicron subvariant FE.1 case

The Philippines has detected its first case of COVID-19 Omicron subvariant FE.1, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed Monday.

This lone case of FE.1 or XBB.1.18.1.1 was found in the genome sequencing conducted on May 29 to June 12, 2023, based on DOH’s latest COVID-19 biosurveillance report.

FE.1, a sublineage of the Omicron XBB subvariant, was added to the list of variants under monitoring (VUMs) by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on June 1, 2023.

A VUM refers to a variant with “genetic changes that are suspected to affect virus characteristics and early signals of growth advantage relative to other circulating variants," according to DOH.

The Health Department said it was initially flagged “for its increasing global prevalence” and has been detected in 35 countries so far.

The agency, however, stressed that currently available evidence for the subvariant does not suggest any differences in disease severity and/or clinical manifestations compared to the original Omicron variant.

“Limited information is available for the variant and researchers are currently characterizing FE.1 in terms of transmissibility, immune evasion, and ability to cause more severe disease,” the DOH said.

Aside from FE.1, the country has detected 206 more Omicron BA.2.3.20 cases; 34 XBC cases; six BA.2.75 cases; four BA.5 cases; and 26 other Omicron sublineages.

Of the additional XBB subvariants, 747 were XBB.1.9.1 cases; 374 were XBB.1.5 cases; 199 were XBB.1.16 cases; 198 were XBB.2.3 cases; and 104 were XBB.1.9.2 cases.

More than 390,000 doses of donated bivalent vaccines — which give protection against the original COVID-19 strain, SARS-CoV-2, and Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 — arrived in the Philippines earlier this month. 

NCR positivity rate

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) further dropped to 7.3% on Saturday, based on latest data by independent monitoring group OCTA Research.

The NCR’s seven-day testing positivity rate, or the percentage of people who were found positive for COVID-19 among the total number of individuals tested, decreased from 11.6% on June 10, to 7.3% on June 17.

Positivity rates likewise dipped in Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Isabela, La Union, Laguna, Oriental Mindoro, Pampanga, Quezon, Rizal, Tarlac, and Zambales over the same period.

It, however, increased in Palawan and Pangasinan.

Among Luzon areas, the positivity rate was recently seen the highest in Isabela at 29.2%, and lowest in the NCR.

The entire Philippines on Sunday reported 726 new COVID-19 cases, marking the highest daily tally in six days.

The latest figure also brought the country’s active caseload to 8,861, down from 9,005 on Saturday.

Metro Manila continued to account for the highest number of cases in the past two weeks with 2,527, followed by Calabarzon with 1,753, Central Luzon with 1,607, Western Visayas with 1,025, and the Cagayan Valley with 735. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News