Angara: PH can’t afford wait-and-see attitude on Delta variant

With more cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19 being recorded in the country, Senator Sonny Angara on Sunday called on the authorities to be more proactive in its efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

The chair of the Senate finance committee aired his concern over the data showing how the Delta variant is highly contagious and could lead to outbreaks if not identified and controlled immediately.

“We are at the point where we are slowly opening up our economy and people are eager to get their lives back to normal. But this new variant of Covid is threatening to disrupt our progress so we should not let our guard down,” Angara said.

The senator said the Philippines cannot afford to have a wait and see attitude with the Delta variant because when the virus spreads, it will be fast and controlling it then will be very difficult.

“What we have seen in Indonesia is alarming and the same is taking place in other parts of the world. We cannot afford to be complacent now. Let’s do everything possible to prepare for the worst case scenario and prevent this from happening,” Angara said.

One of the ways to prevent another outbreak in the country is through genomic sequencing or surveillance, which Angara said is already being done by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) but at a very low rate.

At present, the country evaluates a mere 750 samples per week or less than one percent of the recorded cases nationwide. This is way below the ideal sequencing rate of five percent as indicated by the PGC itself, he explained.

The DOH has also reported that Regions V (Bicol), VIII (Eastern Visayas), IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are having difficulties in submitting COVID-19 samples for genome sequencing due to transportation issues and the lack of sufficient laboratories.

A total of 35 cases of the Delta variant have been detected in the country, three of whom have died, according to the Department of Health.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)