MANILA, Philippines — San Juan’s local government has confirmed that two individuals – a woman and a nine-year-old child – within the city had been infected with the dreaded COVID-19 Delta variant.
According to San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora, the city was notified on Tuesday that two of their recovered patients actually had the Delta variant — almost two weeks after they went through a 14-day quarantine.
“San Juan confirms 2 COVID-19 Delta variant cases in the city. We are taking all necessary precautions against the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant. All health and safety protocols are being strictly implemented while stringent contact tracing is being conducted to make sure we arrest the spread of the virus,” Zamora said in a Facebook post.
“Yesterday, July 27, 2021, we were notified that 2 residents tested positive for the Delta variant. These residents, a 9-year-old and a 25-year-old, we already tagged recovered as of July 15 after undergoing 14-day quarantine. They tested positive towards the end of June,” he added.
Zamora said that the 25-year-old female patient was tested on June 28, and was asymptomatic. She finished her quarantine on July 13.
The nine-year-old male patient, on the other hand, got symptoms, specifically fever. The children’s parents were also COVID-19 patients, with the father got symptoms while the mother remained asymptomatic.
The local executive also further explained that the nine-year-old patient’s father was an officemate of the 25-year-old female patient.
It was not mentioned whether the 25-year-old female patient and the parents of the nine-year-old patients had been vaccinated against COVID-19, but the city also noted that they had vaccinated at least over 120 percent of its target population.
“We only received information yesterday that they are indeed Delta variant cases, almost a week after they had completed their quarantine. Only the Philippine Genome Center has the capacity to conduct Genome Sequencing,” Zamora said.
“We take COVID-19 seriously and have been in the forefront of the fight against the pandemic,” he added.
Last Sunday, the Department of Health announced that they found 55 more COVID-19 patients carrying the Delta variant, for a total of 119 patients. Then earlier, the analytics group OCTA Research called for a circuit breaker lockdown to stop the possible spread of the Delta variant.
READ: DOH detects 55 new COVID-19 Delta variant cases, total cases at 119
READ: OCTA: PH needs ‘circuit-breaking’ lockdowns now amid Delta variant
The Delta variant, first seen in India, has been characterized by increased transmissibility, leading to record-breaking surges in the said country during the second quarter of 2021 and the recent surge Indonesia is experiencing.
The situation in Indonesia has led health experts across the globe to monitor the Southeast Asian country as cases soar higher than previous surges.
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READ: Delta variant puts brakes on return to post-COVID normality