DOH: 6 of 8 Delta variant fatalities were local cases

Six of the eight Delta variant fatalities were local cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Delta variant deaths were recorded in the following areas:

• San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte (one fatality)
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• Balanga, Bataan (one fatality)
• Pandan, Antique (one fatality)
• Cordova, Cebu (two fatalities)
• Pandacan, Manila (one fatality)

The two other deaths were returning overseas Filipinos.

Vergeire said the fatalities were aged 27 to 78 years. Five of them were male.

Three have been confirmed to be unvaccinated against COVID-19, while five others are still undergoing verification.

“We are continuously validating and verifying,” Vergeire said in a briefing.

Community transmission

Meanwhile, Vergeire said authorities are still studying possible community transmission of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Community transmission means links among cases can no longer be identified.

“Sa ngayon nakikita pa natin ang pagkaka-link ng mga kasong ito sa isa’t isa… pero siyempre, gusto pa rin natin maghanda dahil hindi po natin masasabi sa ngayon dahil hindi naman natin tine-test lahat ng merong sakit na positive sa COVID-19,” she said.

(For now, we can still see links among cases. But of course, we want to be prepared since not all COVID-19 cases are tested for variants.)

“We just need to act as if there is already this type of transmission happening in the country para mas maging cautious tayong lahat, meron tayong extra precaution. But for now we cannot declare that because we need evidence for us to say that there is really community transmission of the Delta variant,” she added.

(We just need to act as if there is already this type of transmission happening in the country so we will be more cautious and take extra precaution, but for now we cannot declare that because we need evidence for us to say that there is really community transmission of the Delta variant.)

The Philippines has so far logged 216 Delta cases. 

The government on Friday announced that it is placing Metro Manila under enhanced community quarantine from August 6 to 20 to curb the spread of the new variant. —KBK, GMA News