Delta variant is now dominant strain in PH

The Delta variant has overtaken other COVID-19 variants in the Philippines, becoming the dominant strain.

Dr. Cynthia Saloma, executive director of the Philippine Genome Center, confirmed that 42% of total sequences nationally are Delta.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stated that the Delta variant has been detected in nearly all regions of the Philippines.

Vergeire also noted that almost half of the 338 samples recently subjected to genome sequencing tested positive for the Delta variant.

She emphasized that the absence of detected cases in certain regions does not guarantee the region is free from the variant, as current sampling methods have limitations.

The last two batches of samples sequenced on August 11 and 12 had 359 Delta cases, higher than Alpha, Beta, and P.3 variants.

The Philippines has recorded a total of 807 Delta variant cases.

Vergeire stated that coronavirus infections are expected to increase in the coming weeks despite the lockdown, with strict quarantines yielding results after two to three weeks.