Philippines detects 17 more Delta variant cases; total now 64 —DOH

The Philippines has detected 17 more cases of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant, bringing the total count to 64, the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday.

“Of the additional 17 Delta variant cases, 12 are local, one returning overseas Filipino (ROF), while four cases are currently being verified if these are local or ROF cases,” the DOH said.

“Of the 12 local cases, nine had an indicated address in the National Capital Region and three were in CALABARZON,” it added.

Three cases remain active and 14 cases have been tagged as recovered.

“The outcomes are being validated by our regional and local health offices. This brings the total Delta variant cases to 64,” the DOH said.

Other variants

Apart from Delta variant cases, the DOH, along with the University of the Philippines-Genome Center and UP-National Institutes of Health, also reported 11 new Alpha variant cases, 13 more Beta variant cases, and two P.3 variant cases.

Of the additional 11 Alpha variant cases detected, 10 were local cases and one is currently being verified if it is a local or an ROF case, according to the DOH.

“Based on the case line list, one remains active, seven cases have died, and three cases have been tagged as recovered,” it said.

The total Alpha variant cases so far recorded are at 1,679.

Meanwhile, of the 12 new Beta variant cases, 10 were local and three are being verified if these are local or ROF cases.

“Based on the case list, one is still active, two have died, and 10 have recovered,” the DOH said, noting that total Beta variant cases are now at 1,840.

Of the two additional P.3 variant cases, one is local and the other one is being verified if it is either a local or an ROF case.

“Both cases have been tagged as recovered,” the DOH said.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines rose to 1,537,097 on Friday with 6,845 new infections, the highest since June 26.

According to the DOH, this brought the country’s active cases to 55,069.

Total recoveries climbed to 1,455,137 after 2,330 more patients recovered from the illness.

Meanwhile, the death toll remained at 26,891 with no new fatalities due to issues with the COVIDKaya system. —KG, GMA News