MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health said that the new variants of Covid-19 could have entered the country even if cases continue to remain mild and manageable. It issued the statement after several countries reported spikes in Covid cases due to the presence of Omicron subvariants KP.2 and KP.3 also known as 'FLiRT,' which were named for the amino acids found in the spike protein of the virus.
'Whether or not sequencing shows variants flagged by global health agencies, the DoH assumes the flagged Omicron subvariants are already here, and notes that cases continue to be clinically mild and manageable,' Domingo said. He added that the two variants have yet to produce evidence that they cause severe to critical Covid.As of May 20, the Philippines remains low risk for Covid-19.'The Department remains in close coordination with international health authorities.