Philippines reports 466 more Delta variant cases; total now at 1,273

The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday reported 466 new cases of the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant, pushing the country’s tally to 1,273.

The DOH said 442 of the latest cases are local, 14 are returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs), and 10 are currently undergoing verification.

The local cases were detected in the following areas:

• Metro Manila (201 cases)
• Central Luzon (69 cases)
• Cagayan Valley (7 cases)
• Calabarzon (49 cases)
• Mimaropa (14 cases)
• Bicol Region (4 cases)
• Western Visayas (52 cases)
• Central Visayas (19 cases)
• Northern Mindanao (6 cases)
• Davao Region (11 cases)
• SOCCSKSARGEN (7 cases)
• Ilocos Region (3 cases)

The DOH said that among the 466 new cases, only one remains active, eight have died, and 457 have been tagged as recovered.

“All other details are being validated by the regional and local health offices,” it said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, the DOH said there is already signs of community transmission of the Delta variant in Metro Manila and Calabarzon, meaning there is a clustering of cases and there are no longer links among infected individuals. 

“Analysis of the latest sequencing results for the determination of community transmission is ongoing for other regions,” the DOH said, adding that its COVID-19 response has always been geared towards community transmission.

Other variants

Meanwhile, the DOH also reported 90 new Alpha variant cases, 105 Beta cases, and 41 additional cases of the P.3 variant first detected in the Philippines.

Among the new Alpha cases, 89 are local and one is undergoing verification. One case remains active, one has died, and the remaining 88 cases have recovered.

Out of the latest Beta cases, 101 are local and four are ROFs. Four cases have died, 99 have recovered, and two are still undergoing verification.

The country now has a total of 2,322 Alpha cases and 2,588 Beta cases. — RSJ, GMA News