2 Delta variant clusters in Philippines traced to worker, balikbayan —DOH

Clusters of COVID-19 cases infected with the highly contagious Delta variant were seen in Northern Mindanao and the province of Antique and were traced to a worker and a returning overseas Filipino (OF), the Department of Health said Friday.

“Nakita na po natin ‘yung cluster of infection sa Northern Mindanao, nakita po natin na ito ay family cluster. Nakita rin po natin na merong cluster of infection dito sa Antique,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.

(We saw that the cluster of infections in Northern Mindanao is a family cluster. We also saw a cluster of infections in the province of Antique.)

Vergeire said one family cluster stemmed from an individual who came home from work and infected the rest of the household.

Another cluster involved a returning overseas Filipino who came home to the Philippines due to a parent's death. One person who attended the wake contracted the virus variant and infected other people.

Vergeire said other Delta cases were linked to ROFs.

Breach in protocol

In an interview with ANC earlier in the day, Vergeire said the DOH was looking into how the Delta variant could have spread locally.

She explained that all incoming travelers are required to undergo quarantine and COVID-19 testing regardless of their vaccination status.

“Maybe there were breaches [in protocol], maybe there were no assessments when they were discharged. These are the things that we are assuming right now,” she said.

“Patuloy nating pag-aaralan lahat ito… so that we [would] be able to further improve ‘yung strategies na pinapatupad natin so that there won’t be breaches at ma-manage po natin at ma-control ang further spread of this infection,” she added.

(We will continue to study all of these… So that we would be able to further improve our strategies to avoid breaches in protocols, and we can manage and control the further spread of this infection.)

Last Thursday night, the DOH confirmed local transmission of the Delta variant, after it found links between local Delta infections. 

The Philippines has logged 47 Delta variant cases so far, and only eight remain active. —LBG/KBK, GMA News