The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) spokesperson told Filipinos on Monday, Jan. 3 not to make the mistake of "forgetting" about the presence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
"We're focusing so much on Omicron , we're forgetting that Delta is still around. Delta is still around," IATF mouthpiece and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in an interview over ANC Headstart.
"Don't say na, 'Ah OK lang yan kasi Omicron, sabi nila is milder (Ah it's OK because they say that Omicron is milder). Guys, Delta is still around," he underscored.
Nograles was referring to the two most talked about variants of COVID-19 during the past year.
The Delta variant--which has been described by health experts as more virulent and dangerous compared to the initial strain of COVID-19--was said to be responsible for the case surge in the country that began in August 2021.
The Philippines--banking on ramped up vaccinations and patience--managed to contain the surge by the fourth quarter of 2021, to the point that the IATF even placed the entire country under the relatively lenient classification of alert level 2.
The Omicron variant--reported to be the "most mutated" form of the new coronavirus but leads to minor cases of infection--has since grabbed the headlines and has become the byword when it comes to public discussions on COVID-19.
"Right now parang nag-iispeculate tayo na, 'Nandito na ang Omicron, Omicron na siguro to, ang taas ng bilang (Right now it's like we're speculating that, 'Omicron is here, the surge is probably caused by Omicron). We have to remember that Delta is still around. So don’t forget," Nograles said.
The Philippines is currently grappling with a new surge in COVID-19 infections that was triggered by Filipinos' activity during the holiday season.
The spike in cases caused the alert level in the National Capital Region (NCR) to be heightened from alert level 2 to alert level 3 for the period of Jan. 3 to 15.
Mutations or the different variants of COVID-19 are detected via genomic sequencing.