19 more Delta cases traced to Central Visayas

CEBU, Philippines —  The Department of Health (DOH) announced on Monday, August 23, 2021, that genome sequencing has detected 466 more Delta cases in the Philippines, 19 of which were traced to Central Visayas.

It did not specify the local government units where the Delta cases were found and its office in Region 7 has yet to clarify the status of the 19, considering that "based on the case line list, one is still active, eight cases have died, while 457 cases have been tagged as recovered."

At least 46 cases were traced previously to Central Visayas but DOH-7 chief pathologist, Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, said six cases, all Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF), are yet to be verified.

Of this number, 41 were traced to Cebu, majority of which were found in Lapu-Lapu City with 23 cases, followed by six cases in Cebu City, three in Mandaue City, and two each in Samboan and Cordova. One case has still to be revealed by DOH-7.

DOH-7 spokesperson, Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire, said on Monday that the department now considers community transmission of the Delta variant but more evidence is needed. She said DOH, the national government, and local government units have been responding to the resurgence of cases as if there was already community transmission.

Of the 466 additional Delta variant cases, 442 are local cases and 14 are ROF. Ten cases are still being verified.

Of the 442 local cases – aside from the 19 traced to Central Visayas – 201 indicated addresses in the National Capital Region, 69 in Central Luzon, seven in Cagayan Valley, 49 in CALABARZON, 14 in MIMAROPA, four in Bicol Region, 52 in Western Visayas, six in Northern Mindanao, 11 in Davao Region, seven in SOCCSKSARGEN, and three in Ilocos Region.

The Philippines has detected 1,273 Delta cases, so far.

‘Direct Descent’

Meanwhile, also on Monday, OCTA Research fellow, Fr. Austriaco, professor of Biological Sciences and Sacred Theology at the University of Santo Tomas and Providence College in the U.S, said Delta variant pedigrees of the Philippine Genomic Center show direct descent of the Mindanao Delta clusters from Delta-positive OFW/ROFS that entered Cebu.

“This is now 100 percent certain. This is not an opinion. This is 100 percent certain because we have genome sequencing analysis of Delta variant pedigrees by the Philippine Genome Center that shows direct descent of the Mindanao Delta clusters from the Delta-positive OFW/ROFS entering Cebu,” he said.

Austriaco shared the information during the online discussion on “Understanding the Delta Surge in the Philippines today,” which was part of the town hall discussion of Go Negosyo led by Presidential adviser Joey Concepcion Monday

Austriaco said variants spread around the country like “ink in a glass of water” and used to always enter the country via NCR. However, with the Delta variant, there was “premature” entry into the Visayas and Mindanao through Cebu.

While not blaming the protocols put in place in the island, Austriaco said it is “politically difficult and challenging.”

Austriaco explained genome sequencing can “show us viral families.” As a result, it was found out that the Delta viruses in Mindanao are “children” of the Delta virus from Cebu.

“The DOH and the PGC have shown that the Delta viruses in Mindanao are descended… they are ‘children’ of the Delta virus from Cebu. They are not children of the Delta virus from Luzon,” he said.

He said this is the first time in 17 months that there has been an introduction of a variant from Cebu and not from Luzon alone, which makes the Delta variant surge a “unique situation.”

Salvana

Earlier, Cebu lawmakers called out Dr. Edsel Salvana, a member of the technical advisory group (TAG) of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) over his statement blaming the provincial government for COVID-19 surge in the island.

They said the statement was “irresponsible and misplaced.”

Salvana, in a Manila Bulletin column published last August 10, recounted how infectious disease specialists warned the province of the Delta variant and blamed Cebu’s recent COVID surge and the spread of Delta in Mindanao on the provincial government’s less stringent protocols and the swab-upon-arrival policy for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs).

“Delta is now in Cebu causing a large spike in cases, overwhelming their healthcare system. Some of the Delta outbreaks in Mindanao have been linked through whole genome analysis to returning Filipinos who entered through the Cebu airport. While it might have been impossible to completely stop Delta from coming in, it could have been further slowed down,” his column read.

“Due to lax border control, a bad surge was forthcoming,” he added.

Salvana said that in spite of the IATF rule of swabbing returning Filipinos on the seventh day and additional four days of LGU-monitored home quarantine for good measure, Cebu insisted on its swab upon arrival and monitor returning Filipinos at home if tested negative on the first swab test.

But the legislators pointed out that after the double-swab policy was enforced, there was a steady decline in the number of active cases in Cebu from 1,057 on March 31, 2021 to 367 on May 30, 2021.

However, shortly after flights were diverted to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from May 29, 2021 to June 12, 2021 when Cebu Province set aside its own policy and followed the IATF-MEID guidelines, Cebu experienced a spike in the number of active cases from just 429 on June 13, 2021 to 966 on July 11, 2021, with the highest being 3,733 active cases as of August 12. — JMO Caecent No-ot Magsumbol (FREEMAN)