Philippines And Cambodia Report Cases Of Omicron Variant For The First Time, Brought Back By Travelers From Africa And Japan

COVID-19 illustration Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte campaigns for a COVID-19 vaccine. (Wikimedia Commons/ALFRED FRIAS/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

JAKARTA - The Philippines and Cambodia reported their first cases of the Omicron variant Wednesday, stoking jitters across Asia and further dimming hopes of a recovery as the new year approaches.

Citing The Straits Times December 15, health officials in Manila said they found two travelers, one from Japan who arrived on December 1 and another from Nigeria the day before, carrying the Omicron variant. Both are asymptomatic.

Meanwhile, Cambodia's Ministry of Health said it detected the variant in a 23-year-old woman who returned from Ghana, via Dubai and Bangkok. She is 15 weeks pregnant.

Previously, the Omicron variant had spread to Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea and India, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The new cases in the region coincide with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning, the variant is spreading at an unprecedented rate.

First detected in South Africa and Hong Kong, Omicron variants have now been reported in 79 countries, and may be present in most other countries as well.

"The variance is spreading at a rate that we have never seen with variants before," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that the variance should not be taken lightly.

"Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could again overwhelm an unprepared health system."

Without providing specifics, Dr Tedros added: "Evolving evidence suggests a small decrease in vaccine effectiveness against severe illness and death, and a decrease in preventing mild illness or infection."

Separately, independent researchers warned on Tuesday that the Philippines could face a "serious spike" in COVID-19 cases if the Omicron variant reaches its shores.

Dr. Guido David, a fellow at Octa Research, draws parallels to South Africa's experience with the variant. He said, from the original number of new cases of under 300 cases a day, South Africa is now recording nearly 40.000 cases per day.

Illustration of a COVID-19 vaccination. (Wikimedia Commons/bratislavskysamospravnykraj)

"Although vaccine coverage in the Philippines is significantly higher compared to South Africa, the Omicron variant, if it crosses national borders, is likely to trigger a serious spike in new cases," he said.

The Philippines has seen a record low number of COVID-19 infections over the past month, with the daily average dropping to 91 in the first two weeks of December.

The government has responded by relaxing strict quarantine restrictions, while stepping up vaccination efforts. It has allowed seniors and minors to leave their homes, and dropped a requirement for everyone to wear face shields. Cinemas and gaming arenas have also reopened.

Huge crowds have since flocked to malls, and social calls become more frequent, as Filipinos step up their Christmas shopping and get-togethers. Meanwhile, popular tourist destinations such as the famous island resort of Boracay recorded record bookings.

Officials say it's too soon to start tightening the screws again, with no clear trend of cases increasing exponentially. For now, the Philippines is bringing back testing and quarantine protocols for some 40 "green list" countries and territories, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong, which host large numbers of Filipino migrant workers.

Earlier this month, Manila allowed fully vaccinated travelers, but not tourists, from these countries with a negative COVID-19 test result to enter the Philippines without needing to quarantine for five days after arrival. Now, it requires them to undergo quarantine and be retested on the fifth day.

To note, the Philippines still has the second-worst outbreak in Southeast Asia, with more than 2.8 million cases and around 50.000 deaths.

Meanwhile, governments across Asia have also enforced strict border controls as Europe battles a new wave of infections and hospitalizations.

The WHO urges countries to act quickly to control transmission and protect their health systems, warning against complacency. WHO expert Bruce Aylward also cautioned against jumping to conclusions that this is a mild disease.

"We can prepare ourselves for a very dangerous situation," he said.