MANILA, Philippines — Laguna has already logged 17 cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19, its provincial health officer said Monday.
“Lumabas na ang resulta ng mga pinadala natin sa genome sequencing. May lumabas na 17 na may Delta variant,” Laguna Provincial Health Officer Dr. Rene Bagamasbad said in an interview on ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.
(The genome sequencing results are out. It showed that 17 of the samples we sent are positive for the Delta variant.)
“Kung iisipin natin, mga recovered na kasi itong mga pasyenteng ito. ‘Yung result kasi ng genome sequencing, delayed ng minsan tatlo hanggang apat na linggo kaya ‘yung iba ay June o early July nagkasakit o naospital kaya recovered na sila,” he added.
(These are recovered patients. The results of the genome sequencing are sometimes delayed for three to four weeks. Some of these patients got sick in June or early July and have recovered now.)
Bagamasbad said the patients who have already recovered and their first generation close contacts will undergo a repeat swab test.
The country has already recorded a total of 119 COVID-19 Delta variant cases, including the 55 additional cases that were confirmed by the Department of Health on Sunday.
Based on DOH’s report, 12 of the 119 total cases remain active.
Laguna, which is part of the “NCR Plus” area, remains under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions until July 31.