MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is faring better than its neighboring countries in the face of its COVID-19 Delta variant situation, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday during the taped weekly briefing with President Rodrigo Duterete.
Duque said other countries in Southeast Asia had “experienced a severe rise in cases because of the Delta variant.
“As of now, our situation is far better vis-a-vis the Delta variant,” he added, speaking partly in Filipino.
Duque stressed the need to strictly enforce travel restrictions, including the screening, testing, and quarantine protocols for arriving passengers in the country’s points of entry.
In response, Duterte told Duque that his words were “very reassuring.”
Health authorities have so far detected 35 Delta variant cases in the country, three of whom had died.