The Department of Health (DOH) said the Philippines has recorded 81 coronavirus cases characterized by the “highly immune-evasive” XBB Omicron subvariant.
“Batay sa latest sequencing run, nakapagtala na po tayo ng 81 XBB cases mula sa dalawang rehiyon sa bansa,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Vergeire said that the XBB subvariant has an even higher immune evasion ability than BA.5 Omicron subvariant. While the XBB subvariant is more transmissible, and may evade vaccine immunity, the DOH said there was no evidence that it causes more severe disease.
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday said the mandatory daily face-to-face classes in all public schools will push through as scheduled on November 2, while private schools may continue with bleanded learning.In a statement, the agency said all public schools must adhere to… Read More
Some 19 students and four teachers in various schools in Mati City, Davao Oriental, have tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) since the start of face-to-face classes in August.
Ben Jason Tesiorna, Mati City information officer, said of the total, only four remain… Read More
The world has never been in a better position to end the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, his most optimistic outlook yet on the years-long health crisis which has killed over six million people.
“We are not there yet. But the end is in sight,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at a virtual press conference.
That was the most upbeat assessment from the UN agency since it declared an international emergency in January 2020 and started describing COVID-19 as a pandemic three months later.(RUETERS)