By Joseph B.A. Marzan
The Department of Health (DOH) central office on Friday confirmed 31 cases of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Western Visayas.
In a press release, the DOH reported 119 Delta variant cases in the country, per findings of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
The 119 cases included 93 local transmissions.
Aside from the Delta variant, the DOH also confirmed other variants cases in the region – Alpha variant (36 cases), Beta variant (20 cases), and Theta variant (5 cases).
DOH-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD) in its own press release later confirmed that the Delta variant cases were from Antique (19 cases), Iloilo province (7 cases), Iloilo City (3 cases), and Capiz (2 cases).
Adding the first 2 cases confirmed on July 15, and 3 on July 29, Western Visayas now has 36 local cases of the Delta variant.
As of this writing, DOH regional office is also verifying 2 Delta variant cases of Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF) with declared residences in the region.
The DOH-WV CHD has also coordinated with local government units (LGU) to complete the case profiles of these identified cases, as well as to conduct contact tracing and back tracing.
They also called on all LGUs to continue their Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategy to prevent further increase and spread through granular lockdowns.
The public is also reminded to continue wearing face masks and face shields, observe physical distancing, wash hands, and ensure proper ventilation, to avoid COVID-19 transmission.
Vaccination against COVID-19 is also encouraged whenever available, especially for senior citizens and those with underlying medical conditions.
