Manila, July 16, (dpa/GNA) – The Philippines’ Department of Health on Friday reported the first local cases of the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, including one patient who died.
Sixteen new cases of the Delta strain were detected in the country, including 11 classified as local cases, according to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Two of the local cases were identified in the Metro Manila region. One person died after being rushed to hospital on June 28, while the other recovered, Vergeire said.
Six infections in the southern region of Mindanao were “part of a large cluster of cases” but those affected had recovered, she added.
Two other cases were detected in the central province of Antique and one from Pampanga province, north of Manila, the health department said.
The new infections bring the total number of Delta variant cases in the Philippines to 35 since the first imported case was detected in May.
Despite the local cases, there was still no community transmission of the Delta variant in the Philippines, said Althea De Guzman, chief epidemiologist of the Department of Health.
“We haven’t been able to link one case to another,” she said, noting that there were sporadic, isolated infections. “Of course we are continually investigating.”
Vergiere urged the public to stay alert and strictly follow health standards such as wearing face masks and face shields, keeping a distance and avoiding crowded places.
“We don’t need to panic,” she said. “What we need is that we are always aware, we are always cautious … and we always follow public health standards.”
The Philippines’ total Covid-19 caseload stood at 1,496,328 on Friday, with the health department reporting an additional 5,676 cases. The death toll rose by 162 to 26,476, it added.
The government has banned the entry of travellers from eight countries with surges in Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant in a bid to prevent the local spread of the strain.
Indonesia was the last country to be added in the entry ban list, which also includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
The national task force against Covid-19 also announced on Friday stricter quarantine protocols for six provinces and cities with increasing cases, including those where the Delta strain was detected.
The local Delta cases were announced as the government pushed for more Filipinos to get vaccinated, with the arrival of additional supplies of vaccines.
More than 4.2 million Filipinos, or nearly 4 per cent of the country’s estimated total population of 109 million, have been fully vaccinated since March.
GNA