LAOAG CITY—Ilocos Sur recorded on Sunday its first five cases of the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19, according to Gov. Ryan Luis Singson.
The epidemiology bureau of the Department of Health confirmed the cases, according to a statement by Singson.
The five patients are women 32 to 84 years old, the governor said, citing DOH data.
Of the five women, two had a travel history to Ilocos Norte, where the Delta variant had been present in July. The rest did not travel outside of the province, according to Singson.
He said all the patients showed the common symptoms of COVID-19.
The province also confirmed one new case each of Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Beta (B.1.351) variants.
Singson appealed to Ilocos Sur residents to continue observing minimum health standards, limit their travels to essential purposes, and get vaccinated.
“The presence of the Delta variant in the province is a call to action to all of us to act responsibly,” he said.
Ilocos Sur is under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions. GCQ is the second least restrictive quarantine classification in the country.
The province has logged 7,340 COVID-19 cases since March 2020, including 1,293 active infections, 5,904 recoveries, and 143 deaths.