A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy and a call center agent, 25, tested positive for the Delta variant of Sars-CoV-2 in San Juan City, Metro Manila.
San Juan and two other local government units (LGUs), Laguna province and Bacoor City in Cavite, confirmed the presence of Delta variant cases Tuesday, July 27, 2021.
“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,” San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said in a statement.
The mayor said the 25-year-old call center agent is an officemate of the boy’s father, who also contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). The boy's mother also tested positive for the virus.
The boy and his father both had fever, cough and colds. The mother and the officemate were both asymptomatic.
All four have been tagged as recovered as of July 15, 2021 after undergoing quarantine.
Zamora said they were notified Monday, July 26, that the boy and the call center agent were positive for the Delta variant.
The city of San Juan currently has 110 active Covid-19 cases. Over 56,000 individuals have been fully vaccinated in the said city.
Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez, for his part, said there were 18 Delta variant cases in the province.
“Umaabot ng dalawa hanggang tatlong linggo bago malaman kung ano ang variant ng Covid-19 kaya maaaring magaling o cleared na ang pasyente bago lumabas ang resulta. Subalit hindi pa rin nawawala ang posibilidad na sila ay maaaring nakahawa bago na-test at na-clear, lalo kung nagkaroon ng exposure at close contact,” he said in a Facebook post.
“Kaya naman mahigpit ang aking paalala sa lahat na mag-ingat, kahit ang mga fully vaccinated. Umiwas pa rin tayo sa mga matataong lugar hangga’t maaari. Mag-suot ng mask, sumunod sa social distancing, at laging maghugas ng kamay,” he added.
Bacoor City, Cavite Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla said eight family members of a person who tested positive for the Delta variant also tested positive for Sars-CoV-2. Their samples were sent to the University of the Philippines Philippine Genome Center for whole genome sequencing.
She said they continuously monitor the patients undergoing quarantine.
Revilla said contact tracing is already being conducted.
The Department of Health (DOH) has reported 119 Delta variant cases in the country. Four had died. (SunStar Philippines)