By  REUTERS

The Philippines has not yet recorded a COVID-19 case linked to the strain known as “Cicada,” which has been found in several nations, including the United States, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

“As of March 14, 2026, there have been 60 percent fewer cases of COVID-19 than in the same monitoring period last year…337 [cases] this year [compared to] 838 in 2025 from January 4 to March 14,” said DOH spokesperson Undersecretary Albert Domingo.

“Genomic sequencing for COVID-19 does not happen as frequently as before because it is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). It hasn’t been for quite some time now, and as mentioned, there are 60 percent fewer cases. We have not detected any, but even if we did, it is not a cause for alarm or concern,” he added.

First detected in South Africa in November 2024, the Cicada strain (BA.3.2) comes from the Omicron lineage of the virus that causes the respiratory disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The WHO classified BA.3.2, which has been found in 23 countries so far, as a COVID variant under monitoring.

“At present, there are no clinical or epidemiological data to suggest that BA.3.2 infection is associated with increased disease severity, diagnostic failure, or reduced susceptibility to available antivirals compared with other Omicron descendent lineages,” the WHO said in its risk evaluation for the Cicada strain in December 2025.

“Based on current evidence, BA.3.2 does not appear to pose additional public health risks beyond those associated with other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages, although its pronounced immune-escape profile warrants continued virological and epidemiological monitoring,” it added.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently offered the same assessment.

“[I]n laboratory studies, the recently emerged BA.3.2 strain efficiently evades antibodies, likely because of spike protein mutations, highlighting the need for ongoing genomic surveillance and observational evaluations of vaccine and antiviral effectiveness,” the US CDC said in a report on March 19, 2026.

Domingo said viruses such as COVID-19 “will always have new variants every now and then, as is their nature.”

“Until and unless the WHO and other international health bodies sound an alarm, there is no cause for concern. Standard precautions and infection control and prevention measures have always been in place,” Domingo said.

“The DOH is more focused now on illnesses related to the hot and dry season, as well as contingency planning for the national health system in view of the state of a national energy emergency,” he added.