ALTHOUGH there are six cases of Delta variant in Region 1, five in Ilocos Norte and one in Pangasinan, it is still premature to say that there is already local transmission of the strain, particularly in Ilocos Norte, where the number of active COVID-19 cases continues to rise.

Dr. Rheuel Bobis, COVID-19 focal person and chief of the Infectious Diseases Unit of the DOH-Center for Health Development 1, told the Virtual Presser of the Philippine Information Agency on August 11 that it is still premature to conclude that there are already local transmissions of the Delta variant since the investigation is still ongoing.

He said all the six Delta cases and their close contacts up to the third generation need to be traced, isolated and mandatorily subjected to RT-PCR test to find out if they have symptoms of COVID-19. If they submit negative results, they will be immediately discharged from their isolation.

So far of the six Delta cases, the case in Pangasinan has already been given a clean bill of health by the Provincial Health Office so were his close contacts who were earlier isolated in the LGU-managed facility.

Asked if the four new Delta cases were close contacts of the first known Delta case in Ilocos Norte, Bobis said it may not be because the cases in that province are in different places but confirmation can only be had after the investigation is completed.

Meanwhile, Bobis said there are already 41, 883 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Region 1 as of August 10; 33,093 had recovered while 941 had died. There were 452 new confirmed cases in the region, 353 are in Ilocos Norte.

DOH-CHD records show Pangasinan still leads in cumulative number of confirmed cases with 14,135, plus 2,158 from Dagupan City; Ilocos Norte is the second highest with 10,544; La Union, 9,297 and Ilocos Sur, 174. (Leonardo Micua)

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