MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health announced on Wednesday that 492 more cases of the Omicron strain, which is causing a new spike in COVID-19 infections in the Philippines, have been discovered.

The Omicron variation was discovered in 68.9% of the 714 samples sequenced by the Philippine Genome Center last week.

332 of the newly discovered cases were locals, while 160 were Filipinos returning from overseas, according to the Department of Health.

Two hundred and eighty-nine percent (227) of the local cases were from Metro Manila, the epicenter of the new outbreak.

Calabarzon had 76 cases, Central Luzon had 11, Central Visayas had five, Central Visayas had two, Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, Davao region had two, Soccsksargen had two cases, and the Cordillera Administrative Region had two cases. In Muslim Mindanao, there were three cases each from Ilocos, Mimaropa, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

467 cases have been classified as recovered and 3 cases are still active. The results of 20 additional cases are still being checked out by the agency.

The number of known Omicron cases in the country has increased to 535 as a result of this development.

Omicron is the “predominant [type] in this time period,” according to DOH Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, especially in Metro Manila.