DOH logs 426 more Delta variant cases; earliest found in March

The Philippines reported an additional 426 cases of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant on Monday, bringing the total to 7,038.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that a sample taken in March from a patient has tested positive for the Delta variant, earlier than its initial detection in May.

The earliest case was a returning overseas Filipino with travel history to China.

As of November 20, the Philippines had sequenced a total of 20,561 samples, of which 89.41% were assigned lineages.