Four of eight Filipinos who came from China and tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival had the Omicron subvariants that have been driving the latest surge in cases in that country.

In a virtual press briefing, Epidemiology Bureau Director Alethea de Guzman said they tested positive for Omicron subvariants BA.5.2 and BF.7.

"Though we have 8 positive cases, only four who were assigned lineages," said de Guzman. "Three turned out as BF.7 while the other one is BA.5.2."

China's recent reported COVID-19 outbreak is led by the Omicron subvariants BA.5.2 and BF.7.

The other four had no lineages assigned to their samples, said de Guzman.

The DOH reported eight Filipinos, who arrived from China between December 27, 2022 and January 2, 2023, tested positive for COVID-19. DMS