Philippines detects 633 more Delta variant cases
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has 633 new cases of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19, the Department of Health said on Monday citing latest whole genome sequencing results.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reported the additional Delta infections accounted for 84.63% of the 748 samples tested on October 16, which she added were also collected recently.
Small numbers of other variants were also seen, or three cases of the Alpha first identified in the United Kingdom, and six of the Beta which originated in South Africa.
To date, Vergeire said the Philippine Genome Center has screened 17,147 samples where 15,168 or 88.46% had lineages.
Central Luzon saw the most number of new Delta infections at 140, followed by the National Capital Region at 107.
Other top reporting regions were Calabarzon and Cagayan Valley both with 74 more cases of the said variant, as well as Cordillera Administrative Region with 71.
As it stands, the Philippines now has 4,431 overall Delta cases, 3,313 of the Beta, and 2,938 of the Alpha.
The Delta variant appears to remain the most dominant detected in the country.
Vergeire added that all regions in the Philippines, as well as all Metro Manila cities and its lone municipality, have reported cases of the variant.
Local and global updates on COVID-19 cases, outbreaks and containment efforts due to the highly contagious Delta variant, first identified in India. (Main image: Lockdown in Sydney, Australia in June 2021 by AFP/Saeed Khan)
The Delta variant remains dominant and experts, governments and vaccine makers are urging people to take advantage of booster jabs where they are available.
Delta has proved able to evade vaccine defences against transmission better than the Alpha, Beta and Gamma COVID-19 variants.
But jabs have remained highly effective at preventing severe illness from Delta, lowering the risk of overwhelming hospital resources. — AFP
The DOH reports 520 new cases of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant, bringing the total in the Philippines to 5,331.
The new COVID-19 Delta subvariant has not yet been detected in the Philippines, the Department of Health says.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire says health authorities are monitoring 46 sublineages of the Delta variant, but “the particular Delta sublineage has not yet been detected among the COVID-19 positive samples sequenced in the country.”
Experts, however, are looking into the potential impact of the Delta AY.4.2. sublineage on transmissibility.
The Department of Health reports 633 additional cases of the Delta variant.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire says the additional infections account for 84.63% of the 748 samples tested on October 16.
The DOH reports 411 more cases of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant in the country.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire says the new Delta variant cases come from 747 samples collected from February to September.
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