The Department of Health said that the Philippines has not recorded any case of the COVID-19 strain known as “Cicada,” which has been detected in several countries, including the United States.
DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said COVID-19 cases in the country remain significantly lower than last year.
From January 4 to March 14, the Philippines recorded 337 COVID-19 cases, down 60 percent from the 838 cases logged during the same period in 2025.
Domingo said the government no longer conducts genomic sequencing as frequently as before because COVID-19 is no longer classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
“We have not detected any, but even if we did, it is not a cause for alarm or concern,” Domingo said.
The “Cicada” strain, also known as BA.3.2, was first detected in South Africa in November 2024 and belongs to the Omicron lineage of the virus, according to the World Health Organization.
The WHO has classified BA.3.2 as a COVID-19 variant under monitoring after it was detected in 23 countries.
According to the WHO, there is currently no evidence that the BA.3.2 strain causes more severe illness, reduces the effectiveness of antiviral medicines, or leads to diagnostic failures compared with other Omicron subvariants.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said recent laboratory studies showed that BA.3.2 may better evade antibodies because of mutations in its spike protein, but there is no indication that it poses a greater public health risk than other circulating variants.
Domingo said the public should not be alarmed unless the WHO or other international health bodies raise concerns.
He reminded Filipinos to continue following standard health measures, including regular handwashing and observing proper infection prevention practices.
