651 more Delta variant cases reported
(Eagle News) — The Philippines recorded its first case of the B.1.617.1 COVID-19 variant, the Department of Health said on Monday, Nov. 8.
According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, 651 more Delta variant cases were also reported from the 748 samples taken from March, April, May, June, September, and October.
With the additional Delta cases, the Philippines’ COVID-19 Delta tally is now at 5,982 cases,
As for the the B.1.617.1 COVID-19 variant, formerly called the Kappa variant, Vergeire said this was found in a 32-year-old male from Floridablanca, Pampanga.
His sample was collected on June 2.
The patient has since recovered.
Vergeire said health authorities were so far investigating “to gather more information on this case,” noting that there was “strict monitoring of this case and the community.”
The health official said the B.1.617.1 is from the same lineage as the Delta variant, which has been responsible for the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country in September.
The B.1.617.1 variant has been classified as a variant under monitoring by the World Health Organization.