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PH now high-risk for COVID, omicron local transmission 'assumed': DOH

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Gillan Ropero, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Scores of people shop at the Phase 1 market in Bagong Silang, Caloocan on December 31, 2021, New Year’s eve. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN news" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/01/03/20211231-bagong-silang-market-new-years-eve-jc-10.jpg"/><figcaption>Scores of people shop at the Phase 1 market in Bagong Silang, Caloocan on December 31, 2021, New Year’s eve. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN news</figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA (UPDATE) - Local transmission of the omicron variant in the Philippines is &quot;assumed,&quot; the Department of Health said Monday as it announced that the country is now classified as &quot;high-risk&quot; for COVID-19.</p><p>The country still has to conduct wide whole genome sequencing to confirm the local transmission of the highly transmissible variant, according to Health Undersecretary and spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire.</p><p>&quot;Based on observation sa ngayon, ang assumption natin na andyan na siya sa community because we have seen the sudden increase in the number of cases,&quot; she told reporters.</p><p>(Based on current observation, our assumption is it&#x27;s now in the community because we have seen the sudden increase in the number of cases.)</p><p>&quot;Sa ibang bansa, according to our experts, ang pagtaas ng kaso nagdo-double ang numero ng mga kaso every 2 days. Dito po sa Pilipinas, nakikita na po natin ang trend na ganyan. Kaya ang ating assumption ay nakarating na sa ating komunidad ang omicron.&quot;</p><p>(In other countries, according to our experts, virus cases double every 2 days. We can see that trend here in the Philippines. That&#x27;s why our assumption is omicron is now in the communities.)</p><p>In the previous week, the Philippines&#x27; daily virus cases increased by 570 percent to 2,057 from 307, according to DOH data.</p><p>Nationwide, COVID-19 bed occupancy rate is at 17.98 percent, while the utilization rate of intensive care units is at 21.71 percent.</p><div><strong>14 OMICRON VARIANT CASES</strong></div><p>The country has 3 local cases of the variant and 11 imported cases, of which 9 were returning Filipinos and 2 were foreign nationals, according to the spokesperson.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/31/21/ph-detects-10-new-omicron-covid-19-variant-cases">PH detects 10 new omicron COVID-19 variant cases</a></li></ul><p>All were either asymptomatic or experienced mild symptoms and have finished their minimum 10-day isolation period. Two cases remain active, Vergeire said.</p><p>Three close contacts of the latest 10 cases have been identified, of whom 1 has tested negative and 2 have yet to be retested.</p><p>&quot;Lahat po ng local cases natin had been traced, they were located, nakakumpleto ng 10-day isolation as required,&quot; she said.</p><p>(All our local cases had been traced, and have completed the 10-day isolation as required.)</p><p>&quot;If you isolate early, mas mapuputol po natin ang sakit na ito sa ating komunidad (we can cut virus transmission in the community).&quot;</p><p>All 37 close contacts of the country&#x27;s first three omicron cases have tested negative for coronavirus, according to Vergeire.</p><p>Three out of 24 close contacts of patient four have tested positive for COVID-19, while 15 were negative and the remaining 6 are being verified, she said.</p><p>The details on the contact tracing of other infected patients are still being verified, she added.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/16/21/7-close-contacts-of-ph-2-omicron-cases-negative-for-covid-doh">All close contacts of PH 2 omicron cases identified, negative for COVID: DOH</a></li></ul><p>Close contacts of suspect or confirmed COVID cases must go on quarantine for 7 days if they are vaccinated, and isolate for 14 days if they are unvaccinated, Vergeire said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1882078" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Local transmission of the omicron variant in the Philippines is 'assumed', the DOH said as it announced that the country is now classified as 'high-risk' for COVID-19.

PH now high-risk for COVID, omicron local transmission 'assumed': DOH

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PH now high-risk for COVID, omicron local transmission 'assumed': DOH

Gillan Ropero,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 03, 2022 02:56 PM PHT

|

Updated Jan 03, 2022 05:57 PM PHT

Read More:

omicron variant

Philippines COVID-19

DOH

Department of Health

COVID-19

coronavirus

Maria Rosario Vergeire

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