Delta variant entry ‘inevitable,’ admits health official

MANILA: Despite the implementation of strict border controls including a travel ban, a top health department official admited that the entry of the deadly and highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Philippines was “inevitable.”

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also pointed out that such entry could not be discounted since the Delta variant which first wrought havoc in India has already spread to about 100 countries, including the US.

“The DOH (Department of Health) and experts think that the time will come when these variants will reach the community. These strategies we are doing are just trying to buy time so we can prepare and so that our (health) systems and people will be ready,” Vergeire told a media briefing.

She added: “We are very hopeful that our border controls will be able to mitigate or prevent and avoid the entry of the variants. But in case it goes through our borders, even just one, we have other safeguards.”

According to Vergeire, the government could not afford to isolate the Philippines from countries already afflicted by the Delta variant, citing the presence of many overseas Filipinos workers (OFWS) there and who could not be prevented from returning to their homeland.

Vergeire was referring to the strict border controls being imposed by the government to prevent the entry especially of the Delta variant like a seven- to 10-day quarantine for all arrivals.

She added the government also extended until July l5 the travel ban implemented against arrivals from seven countries.

These included, she said, India where the Delta variant was first confirmed and neighboring countries in the Indian subcontinent like Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as well as Oman.

Earlier, the DOH reported that no community transmission has been reported in the Philippines.

But the Philippine Genome centre confirmed it has so far detected 19 cases of the Delta variant among returning OFWS with one death.

Most of the OFWS were crewmen of a ship that sailed into India at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to unload cargo.

The ship later proceeded to Vietnam where the crew tested positive for the virus and thus, were sent back to the Philippines.

On Monday, the DOH reported it logged 5,204 new confirmed COVID cases which brought the national tally to a total of 1.48 million. it added that the death toll totalled 26,018 while recoveries soared to 1.4 million.