DOH reports 12 additional cases of Delta variant

The Philippines has detected 12 more local cases of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant, bringing the total to 47, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday.

The DOH said three cases were from Metro Manila, six were from Region 3, two were from Calabarzon, and one was from Region 5.

“All cases have been tagged as recovered but their outcomes are being validated by our regional and local health offices,” it said in a statement.

The DOH stressed that “enhanced response” is needed in areas where new Delta variant cases were detected as well as in other areas seeing an uptick in infections “with the premise that there may be ongoing local transmission already.”

The agency also told local authorities to increase the number of samples sent for genome sequencing, especially for areas with a spike or clustering of cases.

Out of the 47 Delta cases, 36 have recovered, three have died, and eight remain active.