MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Department of Health (DOH) does not expect the Omicron XE to dodge the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, a member of its Technical Advisory Group said Tuesday.
According to Dr. Edsel Salvana, Omicron XE is a recombinant of Omicron sub-lineages BA.1 and BA.2.
鈥淢ost of our vaccines really聽target BA.1 and BA.2 na medyo may (with) breakthrough infection,鈥� Salvana said in a media forum.
鈥淭here鈥檚 always a possibility that it can come in but we don鈥檛 expect it to be more severe and we don鈥檛 expect it to dodge vaccines any worse than BA.1 or BA.2,鈥� he further noted.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that Omicron XE is 10-percent more infectious than the BA.2.
Recently, Thailand recorded its first case of the Omicron XE, a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Following the reported case, the DOH assured the public that it is monitoring the situation and is in coordination with the WHO.