Focus on contact tracing, expert urges amid Delta variant threat

A public health expert appealed to the national government to focus on contact tracing, amid the threat of the more transmissible Delta variant.

The Delta COVID-19 variant is reported to be around 40 to 60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant first identified in the United Kingdom.

In a tweet, Dr. Tony Leachon said the government must intensify contact tracing to "ensure that the Delta variant cases will not go out of hand.".

"Reminder: The Delta variant caused catastrophic spread of COVID-19 in India and is behind a spike in cases in Indonesia, which is now considered as the epicenter of the virus in Southeast Asia," Leachon wrote.

"We need to review our quarantine guidelines with the Delta variant threat -- we can't afford to be complacent now. We might lose the gains generated in protecting plus after the March surge. Prevention is better than an overwhelmed healthcare system!"

Tracing czar and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong had reported that Metro Manila's current contact tracing ratio is at 1:15, far from the ideal 1:30 or 1:37 ratio that Magalong targets for all local government.

On Wednesday, the Department of Health (DOH) said that the Philippines now has eight active cases of the Delta variant after individuals who had initially been tagged as recoveries tested positive after "retesting."

The DOH, however, said the cases remain asymptomatic.

The country has so far reported 35 cases of the Delta variant.