Two cases of Omicron BN.1 subvariant detected in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — Two cases of BN.1, a descendant of the Omicron variant, have been detected in the Philippines, the Department of Health said Friday.
BN.1 is a sublineage of Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant. It is considered a “variant under monitoring” by the European Center for Disease Control due to its increasing prevalence globally.
The DOH said in a message to reporters that the country’s first BN.1 case was a returning overseas Filipino from Kuwait whose sample was collected in October. The second BN.1 case was a local whose specimen was collected in November.
Both cases have now been tagged as recovered.
According to the health department, researchers initially flagged the variant due to its mutations that may lead to enhanced immune evasion.
“However, currently available evidence for BN.1 does not suggest any differences in disease severity and/or clinical manifestations compared to the original Omicron variant,” the DOH said.
It added that BN.1 will remain classified under Omicron until sufficient evidence arises showing its virus characteristics are significantly different.
Last week, local health authorities reported the detection of Omicron BF.7 subvariant, which is believed to be driving China’s COVID-19 surge.
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