55 new Delta variant cases raise total to 119; 103 recovered

MANILA – Fifty-five additional cases of the more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, first detected in India, were confirmed by the Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday.

Aside from the Delta variant, the DOH said in a statement that new cases of the Alpha variant (94), Beta variant (179), and Theta variant (9) were similarly detected, based on the latest whole-genome sequencing report by the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC), and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH).

So far, the country’s total number of Delta cases is 119.

Overall, 103 recovered, 12 are recuperating and four have died, including one of the 55.

Thirty-seven of the 55 new cases were local cases with indicated addresses — 14 from Calabarzon, eight from Northern Mindanao, six from the National Capital Region, six from Central Luzon, two from Davao Region, and one from the Ilocos Region.

The remaining 17 were Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs), and one case was being verified whether it is a local or ROF case.

Of the new 94 Alpha variant cases, 87 were local cases, one ROF, and six were under verification.

Based on the case line list, one remains active, two cases have died, and 91 cases were tagged as recovered.

To date, the Alpha variant, first detected in the United Kingdom, was seen in 1,773 cases in the Philippines.

For the 179 Beta variant cases, 168 were local cases, four ROFs, and seven cases were being verified.

Two are still active, one died, 175 have recovered, and one was being verified. The total Beta variant cases is now at 2,019.

All new nine P.3 variant cases are local cases and have recovered.

While the P.3 variant has been reclassified as “alert for further monitoring”, it is still being investigated and information are continually collected to monitor its public health implication.

The total P.3 variant cases is at 244.

To date, the UP-PGC has sequenced a total of 9,351 samples.

Health authorities urged the public anew to strictly adhere to stricter minimum public health standards and continue to avoid enclosed spaces and mass gatherings with the detection of local cases with the Delta variant and other variants of concern.