SAN JOSE, Antique – In the wake of additional local infections of the Delta variant of the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 urged the province of Antique to continue with its contact tracing.
The recovery of patients should not serve as basis for the contact tracing to stop, stressed DOH-6 medical officer III Daphynie Teorima.
The purpose of the contact tracing is to determine the extent of the spread of the virus and to ensure it could be controlled.
On Aug. 6, DOH-6 reported that 19 of the 31 additional local cases of the Delta variant in the region came from Antique.
The additional cases were from the 99 samples that were sent to the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) on July 23, 2021.
The additional detection raised the total Delta variant in Antique to 22.
The province also had 14 Alpha, one Beta and two Theta local cases.
“There is a delay when it comes to (genomic) sequencing, that contact tracing has to be emphasized, (and) that it should be thorough,” Teorima said.
DOH-6 suspected there were still variants in Antique because the province recorded the highest case growth in the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, Teorima said the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) has been making verification and contact tracing of the additional variants of concern that were reported by the PGC last week.
She said they have no date yet if there is already a community transmission of the Delta variant in the region, although there is a local transmission in some areas.
Local transmission, she added, means the source can still be traced.
“As of now, we have no confirmation of community transmission,” Teorima said.
As of Aug. 6, Western Visayas recorded 150 cases of variants of concern and 15 variants of interest (VOI), or Theta.
The variants included 39 local cases of Alpha, 43 of Beta;36 of Delta, and 13 of Theta. (PNA)
