The Philippines has detected the country’s first two cases of the Omicron subvariant BA 2.75 dubbed “Centaurus,” the Department of Health (DOH) reported Tuesday.
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, during a press briefing, said two people who have now recovered tested positive for BA.2.75 in Western Visayas.
Of the two cases, one was partially vaccinated while the other was unvaccinated, she said.
Their exposure to the virus, travel histories, and health status are still being verified by authorities, Vergeire said.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante earlier said that BA.2.75 may be more transmissible compared to other subvariants and may have the capability to evade current COVID-19 vaccines.
BA.2.75 first emerged in India in May and has since spread to other countries like the United States, Britain, Australia, and Netherlands.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has tagged the BA.2.75 as a “variant under monitoring.”
Vergeire also said the Philippines has detected 1,015 additional cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.5 in all regions except Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao.
The number brings the total number of BA.5 cases in the country to 3,012.
Of the new cases, 883 people are now tagged as recovered, 84 are still undergoing isolation, and the status of the rest are still being verified.
The Department of Health on Tuesday logged 2,646 new COVID-19 infections, down from 3,553 cases on Monday. Active cases also went down to 32,099.
Meanwhile, the independent OCTA Research Group said the intensive care unit (ICU) utilization for COVID-19 in Capiz increased to 71.4 percent on Sunday, while the health care utilization rate (HCUR) in the National Capital Region (NCR) also rose to 36.5 percent.
OCTA fellow Guido David said Capiz’s ICU occupancy rate jumped in a span of one week from 42.9 percent on July 24 to 71.4 percent on July 31.
The province’s HCUR also rose from 34.1 percent to 44.6 percent during the same period.
Meanwhile, HCUR in NCR increased from 31.7 percent on July 24 to 36.5 percent on Sunday.
Its ICU occupancy, however, went down slightly from 27.3 percent to 26.9 percent during the same period.
David also pointed out that HCUR in the province of Bohol and Iloilo, excluding Iloilo City, are now at 59.5 percent and 56.1 percent, respectively.
The DOH defines HCUR as the aggregate of the utilization of ICU, isolation beds, and mechanical ventilators.
The DOH said on Monday that 744 severe and critical cases were admitted in hospitals due to COVID-19 as of July 31.
Of the 2,583 ICU beds, 601 or 23.3 percent were occupied.
Meanwhile, 6,505 or 29.5 percent of the 22,051 non-ICU COVID-19 beds were in use.
The Philippines also logged a total of 24,100 new COVID-19 cases from July 25 to July 31, 2022, which was 24 percent higher than the cases reported from the previous week.
Also on Tuesday, the DOH gave Ospital ng Makati the highest ranking among public hospitals in Metro Manila in terms of infection control and COVID-19 response and management.
Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay said OsMak scored 97/100 in the inspection and validation report conducted by the Health Facility Development and Enhancement Unit (HFDEU) of the Metro Manila Center for Health Development.
The inspection covered all local government and DOH health facilities in Metro Manila.
OsMak was rated 19/20 for Governance; 19/20 for Ethics and Patient’s Rights; 15/15 Quality Measurement and Improvement; 20/20 for Patient Safety; 9/10 for Facility Safety and Emergency Management; 15/15 for Resource Management. The total score was 97/100.
The audit and evaluation of all LGU and DOH-run facilities is mandated by DOH Memorandum No. 2020-0202 on the “Use of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Assessment Form for Health Facility Managers and Health Care Professionals in the context of COVID 19.”
The HFDEU assessed the hospital’s compliance with infection prevention and control (IPC) standards and protocols with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as with the Integrated Hospital Operations Management Program (IHOMP). The latter prescribes the standards and guidelines used in the evaluation.
In March this year, OsMak received its second ISO 9001:2015 certification after a three-day external audit. The local hospital received its first ISO 9001:2015 Certification for Quality Management System in 2019.
