The Department of Health reports that at least 18 cases of those who tested positive for the Delta COVID-19 variant were unvaccinated.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media briefing on Friday that of the 47 total cases, 18 have not yet been vaccinated, four have only received the first of two required dose, two are fully vaccinated, while the vaccination status of 23 others remains to be under investigation.
Vergeire also said that two of the three Delta variant deaths were unvaccinated people.
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“Evidence across the globe, you will see that most of those vaccinated if they get infected are only getting mild infections. We are also seeing that here in the Philippines, kung saan ang fully vaccinated magkaroon man ng sakit, sila po ay having mild cases lang at easily recovers,” she said.
On Thursday, the DOH confirmed that the Delta variant cases in the country are linked to one another leading to what experts call as ‘local transmission’.
“The DOH on Thursday further emphasized the need to continuously enforce strict border control measures and intensify local COVID-19 responses with the local transmission of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant in the Philippines,” the department said in a statement.
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“The country has been implementing travel bans and stringent border control measures to delay the entry of the variant, giving the country a headstart to prepare its capacity to manage potential surges,” it added.
The DOH said that clusters of Delta variant cases were seen to be ‘linked to other local cases’, therefore, exhibiting local transmission.
“Upon detection of local cases with the Delta variant, the DOH explained that the government has initiated enhanced COVID-19 response in areas where Delta variant cases were detected. Both the national and local governments have been continuously working together to intensify the implementation of the prevent, detect, isolate, treat, and re-integrate response strategies and increase the country’s health system capacity to be able to manage cases,” the department added. (TDT)
