“It is really troubling, to say the least,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega, COVID-19 cases are increasing in some regions, including Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 7, 10, and National Capital Region (NCR).
“I think we have seen a general trend across the country in terms of the increase in the number of active and new cases, and this is very specific for Region 1, 2, and most in Region 3, 4A, and the NCR and Region 7 and Region 10,” said Vega, COVID-19 treatment czar.
It will be recalled that Iloilo City, Iloilo province, Cagayan de Oro City, and Gingoog, Misamis Oriental, was first subjected to ECQ from July 16 to August 7.
ECQ not effective in some areas – DOH
According to Dr. Alethea de Guzman, director of the DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau, 42% of COVID in the country is Delta variant from the previous 6% in June.
Another 466 Delta variants of COVID-19 cases were identified, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1,273 as of Monday, August 23.
Apart from the additional 466 Delta (B.1.617.2), the Department of Health (DOH), University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC), and UP-National Institutes of Health (NIH) also recorded 90 new Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant cases, 105 Beta (B.1.351) and 41 P.3 variants, from the last batch when they performed whole-genome sequencing.
According to the DOH, of the additional 466 Delta cases, 442 are local cases, 14 are Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF), and 10 cases are still being monitored, whether local or ROF cases.
Based on the case line list, one of them remains active. Eight have died, while 457 cases have been cured. The other cases are still being validated by the regional and local health offices of the DOH.
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