Philippines eyes stricter health measures amid variant threat
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has warned that the government may revert to tougher coronavirus restrictions to contain the spread of the delta variant in the country.
In a recorded address to the public aired late on Monday night, Duterte cited Department of Health (DoH) data that showed 16 new cases of the delta variant in the country as of July 16.
“That should put us in grave concern,” Duterte said, citing experts’ claims that “this kind of variant is more vicious, more aggressive and fatal.”
He added that compared to the alpha variant, where an individual testing positive for COVID-19 could infect four to five people, a delta-positive person could infect up to eight people.
“So, the total reported local cases in
the country is a cause for serious alarm and concern. Again, it’s redundant, but still, it is as good as any warning that can be given to the people. We may need to reimpose stricter restrictions to avoid mass gatherings and prevent superspreader events,” Duterte added.
He said that other countries such as Indonesia, South Korea and Taiwan were forced to enter new lockdowns because of the delta variant.
Earlier, health authorities had said that with the 16 new cases, the total number of delta variant infections in the Philippines stood at 35, of which 11 were locally transmitted, with three deaths reported.
However, in his report to the president, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said that the actual number of delta cases in the country might be higher than was reported by the DoH. This, he said, is due to the difficulty in pinpointing real cases through the use of ordinary test kits.
“That’s why we all need to be more careful,” Ano said, giving the assurance that the government had a contingency plan “in case there will be a new surge in COVID-19 cases.”
Duterte said that he hoped “existing infrastructure could cope,” adding that it also depended on whether COVID-19 vaccines “can be as effective in dealing with the delta variant.”