The Department of Health (DOH) reported 97 new cases of Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus in the country.
Of the 97 new cases, 88 were local infections, six were returning overseas Filipinos (ROF), and three are being verified if they are local or ROF cases, the DOH said.
The DOH said that of the six ROFs, "two were from seafarers of MT Clyde and Barge Claudia, currently anchored off in Albay, and four were from crew members of MV Vega that arrived from Indonesia."
Meanwhile, the DOH did not provide the locations of the detected local cases.
"Ninety-four cases have been tagged as recovered and three were fatalities," the DOH said.
"The DOH is coordinating with the respective local government units to determine other information, such as exposure and vaccination status," it added.
The total number of Delta variant cases in the country is now 216.
Cases of other variants
The DOH also reported 83 new cases of Alpha variant, 127 cases of Beta variant, and 22 cases of P.3 variant in the latest batch of whole genome sequencing results.
The Philippines now has a total of 1,858 cases of the Alpha variant, 2,146 cases of the Beta variant, and 266 cases of the P.3 variant.
"Following the detection of additional cases with variants of concern, it is imperative for local government units to immediately crush clusters of infection and observed increases in cases in their respective jurisdictions to reduce transmission," the DOH said.
"Furthermore, the DOH stresses the importance of vaccinating priority groups A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with underlying conditions) since they are at high risk for severe COVID-19 and death. Vaccines are effective in reducing morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19, which will be very instrumental in our goal of saving lives," it added.