PHL logs 571 more Delta variant cases

(Eagle News) — The Philippines has logged an additional 571 Delta variant cases, pushing the total cases for such a variant to 7,848.

According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, apart from the additional Delta variant cases, one additional Beta variant and one additional Alpha variant were logged from the sequenced 629 samples.

With the additional Beta and Alpha variant cases, the total Beta variant cases are now at 3,630 while the total Alpha variant cases are at 3,168.

So far, no Omicron variant has been detected, Vergeire said.

Earlier, the DOH said it was only a matter of time before the Omicron variant enters the country.

The Omicron variant has been found to have over 50 mutations, more than half of which were located in the part of the spike protein that attaches to the human ACE-2 enzyme.

This is the enzyme the coronavirus attaches to to enter the human body.

The findings have prompted Italian scientists to conclude the Omicron variant has adapted well to humans.

The World Health Organization has said the Omicron variant might evade existing immunity, causing a surge in COVID-19 cases that could have catastrophic effects.

So far, Hong Kong, South Africa, Australia, Germany, the US, Japan, among other countries, have reported Omicron variant cases.