Delta Variant Enters Philippines

As I read the latest news in the Philippines today, I stumbled upon Covid-19's delta variant story. The delta (B.1.617.2) variant is in the country.

COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS particle Computer Generated (Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently classified the delta variant as a variant of concern because it is highly transmissible and can cause more severe disease.

"A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (e.g., increased hospitalizations or deaths), significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures." - US CDC

Aside from the delta variant, other variants of concern are B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), and P.1 (Gamma). Read more about the variants of concern here.

The country's Department of Health (DOH) detected 11 cases of the delta variant this week. Two of these cases are found in the National Capital Region (NCR), according to the Environment Management Bureau's regional profile report. The other six people infected with the variant are from the southern island of Mindanao.

The World Health Organization said it is common for a virus to mutate because it replicates itself.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed in an interview with GMA News's Dobol B TV that the delta variant already took the lives of two persons: one was a seafarer, and the other is a 58-year-old woman. Read more here.

Reading this news makes me worry about my family back home, especially that they have not gotten their vaccines yet. I also worry about other Filipinos who have no access to excellent health benefits in this trying time.

Although the government is already preparing the health system, it makes me wonder how the healthcare workers and authorities will handle it, considering that the country has around 1.5 million COVID-19 cases, as of July 17.

I hope and pray that the healthcare system is ready to help stop the spread of the delta variant as soon as possible.

Talk to you soon.

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P.S.

This post is part of my 30-day diary, an assignment for my Journalism in Public Life subject. All the embedded links and visuals are attributed. Feel free to leave your comment below or send me a private message if you have questions or clarifications. Thanks for dropping by.