A spike in Covid-19 cases in Singapore led by the XBB sub-variant has caused growing concern around the virus again.
That said, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has stated that the surge is expected to peak in mid-November.
Meanwhile, not too far away in the region, the Philippines has recorded its first XBB and XBC Covid-19 cases.
Source: Leif Inge Fosen on Unsplash
Although there have been 274 cases in total, the local Department of Health (DOH) has no plans to tighten health protocols for now.
In a press briefing yesterday (18 Oct), the DOH announced early detections of the XBB and XBC subvariants in the country.
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the DOH’s officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said that 81 XBB cases have been detected in two regions.
On the other hand, 193 XBC – which is a recombinant of the Omicron and Delta variants – cases were detected across 11 regions.
A week ago, the DOH stated that there had yet to be any records of both sub-variants.
Of the 81 XBB cases so far, 70 have recovered and eight are in isolation. The remaining three are pending verification.
As for the XBC cases, 176 have made a full recovery. Three remain in isolation and nine are awaiting verification of their statuses.
However, this strain has reportedly resulted in five deaths.
The department went on to say that it will not tighten restrictions on the country’s borders for now, CNN Philippines reported.
Vergeire apparently said that “mutations and the productions of new variants” are part of the virus’ life cycle, stressing that the vaccinated population was already a safeguard in itself.
The DOH’s website states that over 73 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, which makes up roughly 66% of the country’s population.
Source: Department of Health
There is also insufficient evidence that the XBB sub-variant causes more severe illness, according to Singapore’s MOH.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency is still monitoring the XBC strain.
Back in August, India was the first to detect the XBB subvariant. Since then, cases have cropped up in Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, Japan, and the United States.
In Singapore, XBB cases currently make up 55% of infections, The Straits Times (ST) reported.
Source: Victor He on Unsplash
Cases have been on the rise, with MOH reporting 11,553 new infections just yesterday (18 Oct). The ministry projects a peak of 15,000 daily cases by mid-November.
In light of recent developments, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has urged eligible residents to get a booster jab.
While the goal is to not disrupt everyday life, the ministry did not rule out the possibility of reimplementing the mask mandate if need be.
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Featured image adapted from International Monetary Fund on Flickr.
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