The local transmission of Delta COVID-19 variant has yet to be determined, according to Vergeire.
On Saturday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the local transmission of the Delta COVID-19 variant has yet to be determined.
Vergeire said in an interview on Dobol B TV that local transmission of the Delta variant has yet to be confirmed, adding that an intensive contact tracing effort should be done.
She also distinguished the difference between local cases and local transmission. According to her, a local case means that the COVID-19 variant was detected from an individual who wasn’t classified as a returning overseas Filipino (ROF), while local transmission means that there’s evidence that the cases of COVID-19 in a community were linked together.
Nevertheless, Vergeire said that there’s a need to determine the origin of the local cases of Delta COVID-19 variant.
“Sa ngayon ‘di pa nade-determine ‘yan [local transmission] kaya tayo gumagawa ng intensive contact tracing. It might be a breach in protocol [at the] border, kaya may nakapasok at nahawaan ang ibang tao sa komunidad,” Vergeire said.
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In a separate interview on Dobol B TV, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante highlighted the importance of contact tracing in order to avert further transmission of the Delta COVID-19 variant.
Solante advised the public to be more cautious as there were reported local cases in different regions across the country. He also agreed with the Department of Health (DOH) that local transmission can’t be declared yet as the contacts of the COVID-19 patients detected with the Delta COVID-19 variant were yet to be traced.
“Mag-ingat tayo sa definition ng local transmisson. We only define local transmission kung na-document na natin at confirmed na ang secondary contact nitong nakikita ngayon ay nahawaan, at ang contact nila ay nahawaan din. So kabit-kabit na transmission. Dun na natin makikitaan ng local transmisison. At this point, malamang hintayin ang tests ng secondary and tertiary contacts ng primary contact,” Solante said.
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