The Department of Health on Monday reported the detection of 640 additional cases of Delta variant, bringing the tally to 2,708. It is now the variant with the second highest number of cases, closely tailing behind the Beta variant with 2,725 cases.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 13) — The country continues to detect more cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, accounting for an overwhelming majority of recent samples sequenced by the Philippine Genome Center.
In the latest run of the Philippine Genome Center, 85.6% of the 748 samples sequenced were found with the more transmissible Delta variant. Three cases are still active, 13 patients have died, while 624 cases have recovered.
The DOH said 584 of the 640 Delta cases were acquired locally. They are mostly from Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, and Calabarzon. Meanwhile, 52 cases are returning overseas Filipinos and four cases are being verified.
Independent research group OCTA said the fact that 85% of the samples reviewed were found with the Delta variant is no longer surprising due to its high transmissibility. OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David on Monday said they are still projecting 30,000 daily COVID-19 cases nationwide by the end of the month despite the dominance of the Delta variant.
“The rate of the increase of the Delta variant is very fast and generally it takes over the cases. It outcompetes the Alpha, the Beta, and the other variants,” he told CNN Philippines’ The Source. “It’s not going to change the projections that much, because these have in effect been factored in. It could increase the growth rate a little bit.”
DOH also reported 24 additional cases of the Alpha variant, 28 Beta cases, and five additional cases of the P.3 variant.
