The OCTA Research team emphasized the importance of implementing stricter border controls in the Philippines to prevent another COVID-19 surge due to the Delta variant first discovered in India.
In an interview on Monday (June 21), the OCTA Research team warned that if transmission of the Delta variant occurs, the country will face a worse surge than that of March.
“Kung mag-community transmission dito ‘yung Delta variant, magkaka-surge tayo, baka mas malala pa sa nakita nating surge noong March,” OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said.
The team again encouraged the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to avert the threat posed by the Delta variant.
In line with this, the Department of Health (DOH) is continuously making sure that proper seventh-day testing, 10-day facility-based quarantine, and four-day home quarantine are strictly being implemented for individuals coming from other countries.
Moreover, the Palace has extended travel restrictions on passengers coming from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, and Oman until June 30, in an effort to prevent the Delta variant from entering the country and spreading through community transmission.
Meanwhile, based on the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center’s latest genome sequencing report, the total number of Delta variant cases found so far in the Philippines is 17.
The Delta variant is said to be found in more than 80 countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the said variant can be considered a dominant COVID-19 variant because it is 6% more infectious than the Alpha variant first detected in the United Kingdom.
Report from Mark Fetalco/NGS- jlo
