THE number of Delta (India/B.1.617.2) variant cases in the country climbed to 216 yesterday as the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) reported 97 additional cases of the more transmissible variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In a statement, the Department of Health (DOH) said that of the 97 new Delta cases, 88 were local cases, six were Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs), and three are still being verified if they are local or ROF cases.
The DOH said that among the six ROFs, two were seafarers of MT Clyde and Barge Claudia, which is currently anchored off in Albay, while the other four were crew members of MV Vega, which arrived from Indonesia.
On the other hand, the DOH said it is still coordinating with concerned local government units to determine additional information, such as exposure and vaccination status, of the 88 local cases.
The DOH said 94 of the cases have been tagged as recovered while three were fatalities.
The health department has raised the country’s risk classification to “moderate” again after observing a rise in COVID-19 cases since mid-July.
It noted that the average daily cases nationwide from July 22 to July 28 is now at 6,029, which is higher by 453 cases compared to the previous week of July 15 to July 21, where there was a 5,576 average cases per day.
Vergeire said six regions have shown increasing trends, which are Central Visayas (44%), Cagayan Valley (23%), National Capital Region (19%), Northern Mindanao (18%), Calabarzon (1%), and Central Luzon (23%).
The Delta variant of the coronavirus has been blamed for the global surge in COVID-19 cases. The highly transmissible variant has now spread to 124 countries and is on track to become the dominant coronavirus strain worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Aside from Delta variant cases, the DOH said the PGC has also detected additional 83 Alpha (UK/B.1.1.7) variant cases, 127 Beta (South Africa/B.1.351) variant cases, and 22 P.3 (Philippines) variant cases.
Among the additional 83 Alpha variant cases detected, 58 are local cases and 25 are currently being verified if they are local or ROF cases.
Based on the case line list, 70 cases have been tagged as recovered while there are 13 cases whose outcomes are being verified. The new cases bring the total Alpha variant cases to 1,858.
As for the additional 127 Beta variant cases, 87 were local cases and 40 cases are currently being verified if they are local or ROF cases.
Based on the case line list, one remains active, 86 have been tagged as recovered, and 29 outcomes are currently being verified. The total Beta variant cases in the country now stands at 2,146.
Of the additional 22 P.3 variant cases, seven were local cases while 15 cases are currently being verified if they are local or ROF cases.
Based on the case line list, all seven local cases have been tagged as recovered while the other 15 cases are still being verified. The total P.3 variant cases now stand at 266.
In Pasig City, Mayor Vico Sotto said five of the seven Delta cases in the city have already recovered.
Sotto said the other two cases remain active and are confined at the DOH centralized quarantine facility, while their close contacts have been traced, tested and are now under quarantine at the Daisy Hotel in Pasig.
LGU RESPONSE
Following the detection of additional cases with variants of concern, the DOH said it is imperative for local government units to immediately “crush clusters of infection and observed increases in cases” in their respective jurisdictions to reduce transmission.
This, it said, can be done through active case finding, shortening the detection to isolation/quarantine interval to less than five days, tracing close contacts of suspects, probable, and confirmed cases within 24 hours of detection, and implementing more targeted granular lockdowns.
“Regardless of the presence of a variant of concern, the management and interventions for these positive COVID-19 cases remain the same,” stressed the DOH.
The health department similarly stressed the importance of vaccinating priority groups A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with underlying conditions) since they are at high risk for severe COVID-19 and death.
“Vaccines are effective in reducing morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19, which will be very instrumental in our goal of saving lives,” said the DOH. — With Christian Oineza
