The Philippines on Thursday logged 18,191 new COVID-19 infections as some European countries eased restrictions to treat COVID as an endemic disease.
The day's tally brought active cases to 226,521 with a total of 22,014 new recoveries and 74 new deaths reported.
Overall, a total of 3,493,447 COVID-19 cases have been reported since the pandemic began in March 2020, of which 3,213,190 have recovered and 53,736 died.
U.S. biotech company Moderna said on Wednesday that it had begun clinical trials of a booster dose of vaccine designed specifically to combat the Omicron variant. In Denmark, virtually all COVID curbs will be removed next week as authorities seek a return to the pre-pandemic life.
An omicron lineage called stealth omicron, which is not as easily detectable via RT-PCR tests, has been detected in the Philippines. The Department of Health earlier said it would study how the newly detected lineage affects transmission.
Stealth omicron is predominant in most regions in the country, said Health Usec. Rosario Vergeire. Unlike its predecessor delta, most omicron infections caused no symptoms to moderate symptoms, which can be treated at home, she added.
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