October 14 ------ A total of 2,883 Covid-19 cases were recorded by the Department of Health (DOH).
Active cases nationwide went up to 25,293 from the 24,283 infections recorded on Oct. 12. The National Capital Region logged the highest cases in the recent 14 days with 11,235, followed by Calabarzon with 5,429, Central Luzon with 2,890, Davao region with 1,408, and Western Visayas with 1,019. The recovery tally increased to 3,887,188 while the death toll was at 63,403. The country now has a total of 3,975,884 coronavirus cases since the pandemic started in 2020.
Earlier, the DOH said the new Omicron subvariant known as XBB is not yet detected in the Philippines so far. It reported that “preliminary studies suggest that the sublineage shows higher immune evasion ability than the BA.5.” Omicron subvariant XBB has already been detected in some countries such as Singapore, Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, India, Japan and the United States.
In a related development, the DOH said that health authorities are still reviewing the application for a certificate of product registration (CPR) of Janssen Pharmaceuticals of Johnson & Johnson for its Covid-19 vaccine. There are no other vaccine manufacturers applying for a CPR for their Covid-19 vaccines, although some of them have already expressed their intent, the DOH said. “So, let’s wait if they will submit their applications this month,” the DOH said in a brief statement.
So far, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to all Covid-19 vaccines being used in the country. The DOH previously said that if a vaccine manufacturer secured a CPR for their Covid-19 vaccines, then it can already be available commercially.
Source: mb.com.ph