The Department of Health (DOH) has stressed the need for a “uniform” implementation of port and border control after four additional Delta variants were recorded 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) on Monday.
There were also 14 Alpha (B117) variant cases, 21 Beta (B1351) variant cases, and one Theta (P3) variant case that were recorded.
In an online media forum of the DOH on Monday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also stressed that no less than President Duterte is “cautious” on the prevention of the entry of Delta variant into the country.
“We cannot have non-uniformity in the implementation of border control,” Vergeire said stressing that the protocols of the Inter-Agency Task Force and the Office of the President on the testing and swabbing of returning Filipinos (ROFs) and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) should be upheld in Cebu to prevent the entry of the Delta variant.
While the national protocol requires a 10-day quarantine and swabbing on the seventh day from arrival of OFWs and ROFs, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has issued an executive order and an ordinance of the provincial board that require RFs and OFWs to go on a two to three-day hotel quarantine. They will be swabbed upon arrival.
A person infected with Delta variant, according to Vergeire, can infect 8 persons. An infected person of such variant can also result to a longer hospital confinement.
Delta variant cases
Three of the four additional Delta variant cases are ROFs from the MV Eastern Hope, a ship currently docked in South Korea.
Upon detection of the PCR-positive Filipino crew in South Korea, they were repatriated back to the Philippines on June 3, 2021.
Two cases have completed the 10-day isolation after arrival in the country and were discharged upon certification of recovery, while one is still under treatment at a hospital in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, the fourth case is a ROF who arrived from Saudi Arabia on May 24, 2021.
The case has completed the mandated isolation, tagged as recovered on June 10, 2021, discharged thereafter from the isolation facility, and is now under strict home quarantine as per protocols of the local government unit (LGU) of destination. This brings the total number of Delta cases to 17.
Alpha variant cases
Of the additional 14 Alpha variant cases detected, 12 are local cases, while two are being verified as to whether these are local or ROF cases.
Based on the case line list, two cases have died and 12 cases have been tagged as recovered. The Alpha variant cases now total 1,085.
Beta variant cases
Of the additional 21 Beta variant cases detected, 20 are local cases while one case is being verified as to whether this is a local or ROF case. Based on the case line list, 20 cases have been tagged as recovered and one case is currently active. The total Beta variant cases are now 1,267.
Theta variant cases
The additional Theta variant case is currently being verified as to whether this is a local or ROF case. The case has already been tagged as recovered.
Currently, the Theta variant is not identified as a variant of concern (VOC) since more data is needed to conclude whether the variant will have significant public health implications.
The DOH, UP-PGC, and UP-NIH assured the public that bio-surveillance activities for the detection of Covid-19 variants shall continue amid the increase in cases in Visayas and Mindanao.
The DOH also said that the procurement of reagents for whole genome sequencing for the rest of the year was initiated through a grant of P180 million by the DOH to the UP-PGC last May 2021.
“After undergoing the government procurement process, the reagents shall arrive at the UP-PGC this week. These reagents will allow the DOH, UP-PGC, and UP-NIH to sequence samples of Covid-19 cases regularly until the end of the year, ensuring that the government will have essential information in mitigating the spread of Covid-19.”
Covid cases rise in VisMin
The DOH on Monday also said that Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Visayas and Mindanao with some regions showing positive two-week Covid-19 growth rate.
Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama Jr., DOH Field Implementation Cluster Team for Visayas and Mindanao, said that as of June 20, there were 13,313 active cases recorded in Visayas while 14,426 in Mindanao.
When asked of the possible reasons on the rise in cases, Undersecretary Vergeire said that the spike of Covid-19 cases in Visayas and Mindanao is caused by “multiple factors.”
Vergeire said that these may include non -compliance with the health protocols and new variants.
Meanwhile, Davao City has steadily registered the highest number of fatalities from Covid-19 at 3.43-percent case fatality rate (CFR), compared to big cities in Metro Manila, averaging between 1.4 and 1.9 percent CFR, according to figures from the DOH as of June 2021.
As compared to Quezon City with the most number of population in the country, Davao City with 1.82 million population, recorded the highest CFR at 3.43 percent in June this year, compared with Quezon City’s CFR at 1.47 percent with a total population of 3.15 million population.
For its part, the OCTA Research Team stressed that CFR “indicates the capacity to save lives by helping Covid-19 cases recover.”
OCTA also flagged the cities of Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Dumaguete, Butuan, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and the municipality of Polomolok as “areas of concern.”