DOH reports 16 new Delta variant cases, including 11 local cases

The Department of Health on Friday said it has detected 16 new Delta variant cases in the Philippines, including the first local cases, based on the latest whole genome sequencing report.

Of the new cases, 5 were returning overseas Filipino workers. 

One case arrived in the Philippines from the United Kingdom on 26 April 2021 and has been tagged as recovered after undergoing the 14-day quarantine period. Another two of these cases arrived in the Philippines from Qatar on 15 June 2021 and have recovered.

Eleven of the new Delta variant cases were local transmissions, Health spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergerie said in an online press conference.

Six Delta variant carriers are from Northern Mindanao, 2 are from the National Capital Region, another 2 from Western Visayas, and a lone patient is from Central Luzon, data from the DOH showed.

Of these 16 patients, 1 died while 15 others recovered, the DOH said.

The Delta variant is more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain due to the presence of the L452R mutation, which allows the virus to get past the immune system and spread faster in cells.

In July, the Philippines recorded 19 Delta variant carriers in the country.

The Philippines has issued a travel ban against Indonesia, where some 54,000 people contract COVID-19 daily due to the Delta variant.