THE Department of Health (DOH) recorded 14 cases of the BA.2.12.1 subvariant of the Omicron variant in the country.
Two of the cases were recorded in Metro Manila, the first case in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to DOH spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the two local cases already have booster doses and experienced only mild symptoms of the disease.
Both have also completed home isolation last April 21-28 and are now registered as recovered.
They had 39 close contacts and were identified as asymptomatic. The state of their testing, quarantine and vaccination is still being verified.
The 12 other BA.2.12.1 cases are the 11 foreign tourists and one Filipino crew of the cruise line they used in going to the Tubattaha reef from Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.
The DOH earlier reported that 14 foreign tourist and one Filipino crew of the boat used by the foreign tourists were tested positive of Covid 19 last April 29.
The BA.2.12.1 recorded by the DOH is one of the two identified Omicron sub-variants wherein one case was identified in a Finnish national.