The Department of Health (DOH) said it is still monitoring eight “active” Delta variant cases, out of the 35 cases that were detected in the Philippines, after they turned positive when they were re-tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“I like to clarify na walo na po ang nakitaan na positive pa rin sila sa RT-PCR (test) (I would like to clarify that eight people have been found to be still positive in the RT-PCR ),” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in an online press briefing on Tuesday, July 20.
“Sila po ay minomonitor sa ngayon at kailangan maka-kumpleto ng 14 na araw uli na isolation because they have positive results (They are being monitored right now and need to complete 14 days of isolation again because they have positive results),” she added.
Among the eight active cases, one is from the City of Manila, four cases are from Cagayan De Oro, one from Misamis Oriental, and two are overseas returning Filipinos, said Vergeire.
These cases were earlier tagged as revoveries by the DOH.
“They remain to be asymptomatic but their RT-PCR was positive so we needed to quarantine them again and we will closely monitor them,” said Vergeire.
“Yung analysis kung paano, bakit positive pa rin that will come in the coming days. Pag-aaralan po namin lahat ng kaso na ito (The analysis on why and how they are still positive----that will come in the coming days. We will study all these cases first),” she added.
“But when we look at closely these cases lahat po sila halos, yung CT values nila matataas, ibig sabihin mababa na yung viral load sa katawan ( almost all of them, their CT values are high, which means the viral load in their body is low). And therefore, most likely, hindi na sila ganoon ka infectious (they are no longer that infectious). Of course, we would like to be very sure. That is why they are still in quarantine now and we are monitoring them,” she furthered.
In an interview with CNN Philippines also on Tuesday, Vergeire said that the cases have not interacted with the community.
"They were isolated or quarantined right after they were detected as positive (with COVID-19), not yet with the Delta variant. They were able to finish their 14 days (of) isolation. They do not have symptoms anymore," she said.
“But when they were detected with the variant, we went back to these different individuals...as part of our protocol,” she added.