SENATOR Cynthia Villar has tested positive of coronavirus, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Tuesday, August 9,2022.

“We just like to put in record that our distinguished colleague Senator Cynthia Villar has tested positive today for Covid-19. We would like to wish her well and pray for her speedy recovery and for all our members to also be extra careful in this time where Covid is still surging,” he said during the plenary session.

Villar was the third senator who tested positive for the virus over the past seven days. Others were Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Imee Marcos.

In an update, the Department of Health (DOH) said 906 more cases of BA.5 Omicron subvariant was detected in the country.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said 265 cases were from Western Visayas, 127 from the National Capital Region, 121 from Cordillera, 97 from Cagayan Valley, 73 from Central Luzon, 56 from Calabarzon, 49 from Bicol Region, 40 from Ilocos Region, 39 from Mimaropa, 13 from Zamboanga Peninsula, 12 from Eastern Visaya and 10 from Central Visayas.

She said four others were returning overseas Filipinos.

Vergeire said 814 of these cases have already been tagged as recovered.

The country so far has 4,013 cases of BA.5 subvariant, which is reportedly more transmissible than the mother variant Omicron.

Vergeire said 11 additional cases of BA.4 and seven BA.2.12.1 cases were also newly recorded. (SunStar Philippines)