The more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 appears to be fifth in the list of variants with the most detected in samples processed by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC).
Of the more than 9,000 samples sequenced by PGC, the Beta variant was still the most detected at 26.17 percent and Alpha variant at 23.19 percent.
Beta and Alpha variants are said to have caused the sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in March and April.
About 5 percent of the samples analyzed by PGC detected the Delta variant.
But according to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, this does not mean that the threat of Delta is also low.
“Itong 5 percent na ito, a few weeks ago nasa less than 1 percent pa lang tayo. Ilang doble na rin ito. Kaya ito ang dapat talagang bantayan,” said Duque.
Indeed, experts say the increase in cases being experienced today may be triggered by the Delta variant.
So even though the Department of Health (DOH) has not yet explicitly announced community transmission, strict caution is needed.
If we compare the DOH data from August 1 to 8, it can be seen that except for ages 75 to 79, at least 1,000 people tested positive for the disease in each age group. Most gains were among those aged 25 to 29.
Delta variant threat should not be ignored: DOH
Following the report on children’s illness, DOH data also shows that although more people get sick in the adolescent age group, it is noteworthy that more people die in the youngest age group, age 0 to 4.
In a statement, the Philippine Pediatric Society and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines said there is still a lack of comprehensive data on admission, case severity, and disease outcome in young patients.
It is also being studied whether the Delta variant caused higher infection in children compared to other ages.
Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that the Delta variant causes more serious illness in children, according to the 2 groups.
Today, the country’s health care capacity remains manageable, but intensive care unit beds are over 60 percent occupied.
According to Duque, the impact of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) will be seen upon its end.
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