(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, July 19, said stricter restrictions may need to be re-imposed in the country following the detection of Delta variant cases.
“We may need to reimpose stricter restrictions to avoid mass gatherings and prevent super-spreader events,” President Duterte said in his weekly Talk to the People.
Earlier, the Department of Health said the number of Delta variant cases detected in the Philippines now stood at 35, following the detection of 16 more cases.
Of the 16, the DOH said 11 were local cases.
The DOH has said three have so far died: a 63-year-old male seafarer; a 78-year old woman from Baybay, Antique; and, a 58-year-old woman from Pandacan, Manila.
The department has said 36 contacts of Delta variant cases reported in Manila have been identified.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno has said one of the 36 contacts of the two Delta variant cases in the city has tested positive for COVID-19.
“This is more vicious. It’s more aggressive and fatal,” President Duterte said, noting that some countries such as Indonesia had already imposed restrictions.
“I urge the (Department of the Interior and Local Government)… to impose existing restrictions with greater urgency,” the President added.
Earlier, the OCTA research group recommended the re-imposition of the NCR Plus bubble and the ban on children outdoors.
The DOH has said the Delta variant could be up to 60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant first detected in the United Kingdom.
An Alpha variant-positive person can infect three to four people, while a Delta variant-positive person can infect eight, the DOH had said.
The World Health Organization has said the Delta variant was on track to becoming the globally dominant COVID-19 variant due to its transmissibility.
