The highly dreaded and contagious Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has been detected in Taguig, an official said.
In a weekly report, Clarence Santos, head of the Taguig Safe City Task Force, said one case of the Delta variant has been confirmed in Taguig, according to the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CEDSU).
As of July 12, Taguig’s CEDSU said there are 73 cases of COVID-19 variants in Taguig: one Delta variant, 26 Alpha variants including two recent cases detected between June 3 and 7; and 46 Beta variants including three cases last detected between June 4 and 5.
Department of Health Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire announced during a media briefing Friday that 16 new Delta variants have been detected in the country including 11 local cases.
Of the 11 local Delta variant cases, two have been detected in Metro Manila with “one case was tagged as dead after being rushed to the emergency room of a hospital on June 28. The other case is an outpatient with an onset date of June 23 who was tagged also as recovered already,” said Vergeire.
She said six of the 11 Delta cases were detected in Region X, or Northern Mindanao, “part of a large cluster of cases with dates of onset between or has been tagged as recovered.”
Another local Delta case who had onset of symptoms on June 27, who has already recovered, was initially tested in Metro Manila but with an address in Region III, or Central Luzon.
“All of these cases have no known connection to each other,” she said.
Two other local cases were detected in Region VI, or Western Visayas, who had onset of symptoms on May 27 but are now classified as recovered.
Five of the 16 new Delta cases are returning overseas Filipinos (ROF). One arrived from the United Kingdom on April 26 and has since been tagged as recovered. Two arrived from Qatar on June 15 and have recovered. The DOH is verifying the arrival and quarantine status of two ROFs.
Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano warned that Delta is poised be the dominant variant and said that “one of the most important weapons against the Delta variant is personal responsibility.”
“Wear your masks, face shield and (keep your) distance so that the Delta variant will not spread. This is more contagious and it has a higher percentage of being hospitalized. Another important weapon against the Delta variant is vaccination,” he said.
On July 17, Taguig reported 51 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city to bring the total active cases to 417. As of July 16, Taguig has 29,673 confirmed COVID-19 cases including 28,975 recoveries and 281 deaths.