FILE PHOTO: Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. INQUIRER file photo / EDWIN BACASMAS
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) is again testing and subjecting to fresh round of quarantine the recently detected 14 cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19, both local cases and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs), in order to secure an “additional layer of precaution.”
“[Based on the] initial tagging by LGUs, 32 have recovered. But we have now again tested and quarantined these local cases, and we will further verify their status once we complete assessment,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a Viber message to reporters on Monday.
In a text message to INQUIRER.net, Vergeire clarified that the retesting and quarantine only cover “all recently detected [cases]: local plus ROFs.”
She said that in total, the retesting will cover nine local cases who have already recovered and five ROFs who were recently added to the count.
According to Vergeire, “all Delta variant cases are immediately re-assessed to determine their current clinical, laboratory, and isolation status.”
“They shall be swabbed for repeat RT-PCR at end of their isolation or upon determination that they were positive for the Delta variant. They shall remain in isolation while awaiting results,” she added.
Vergeire also said that those whose RT-PCR test is negative and who are already asymptomatic and have completed the minimum 10-day isolation may be discharged from quarantine.
“Contact tracing done shall be reviewed to identify RT-PCR positive close contacts whose samples may be eligible for sequencing. Testing with RT-PCR was advised by our experts at the end of 14-day quarantine,” she added.
The DOH has so far confirmed a total of 35 cases of the Delta variant, including the 16 cases that were recently reported on Friday. Of the 16 newly-detected cases, two have already died while the rest have recovered.
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