DAVAO CITY (MindaNews) – Eight of the 13 confirmed cases of the Delta variant of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Davao Region were “unvaccinated,” according to the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao.
In her presentation during a virtual press briefing streamed live via DOH-Davao’s Facebook page on Monday, Dr. Raquel D. Montejo, chief of the Local Health Support Division of DOH-Davao, said that three of the Delta cases were fully vaccinated with a double-dose vaccine and the two received the first dose so far prior to contracting the infection.
Montejo said the “fully-vaccinated” Delta cases were among the 238 breakthrough infections in the region or individuals who contracted the infection even after receiving the full doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, comprising 0.026% of the 903,848 individuals who were fully vaccinated as of August 15.
Montejo added that 437 individuals were infected after being vaccinated with the first dose. A total of 1,057,892 individuals in the region received the first dose.
Montejo said one of 13 Delta cases – a 41-year-old male returning overseas Filipino (ROF) from Cairo, Egypt with an address in Davao de Oro – received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine last August 11 in the province.
The ROF, who arrived in Manila last July 18, was put in isolation until August 3 after testing positive. He had flown to Davao City last August 4 and was transported back to his hometown on the same day.
Of this total, Davao City reported 538,918 received first doses and 518,074 second doses; Davao de Oro, 108,310 first doses and 65,160 second doses; Davao del Norte, 152,426 first doses and 129,026 second doses; Davao del Sur, 84,096 first doses and 75,846 second doses; 65,283 first doses and 36,486 second doses; and Davao Oriental, 108,856 first doses and 79,256 second doses.
Montejo said while it is highly encouraged to get vaccinated against the virus, the public should continue observing the minimum health standards such as distancing, frequent handwashing, and wearing of mask and face shield.
She added there is risk of getting infected even after getting the full doses.
She also asked the people to avoid social gatherings or celebrate only with members of the same household to avoid risk of contracting the disease.
Dr. Arnel Florendo, head of the Tagum City Health Office, expressed alarm over the rising Delta cases in Tagum City where the first documented case of this type was reported last July 25.
Both Delta cases in Tagum City, one of them is five months pregnant, were fully vaccinated. The 38-year-old pregnant woman is still an active case and has been isolated since July 23.
The two are considered “community transmission” as they have no travel history, he added.
Four of her identified close contacts also tested positive of the infection.
Florendo said they were re-swabbed and their specimens were submitted for genome sequencing to the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) in Diliman.
As of August 16, DOH-Davao reported 60,142 cases with 8,017 active, 50,153 recoveries, and 1,972 deaths.
Out of the total cases, Davao City, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mindanao, logged 33,331 cases with 3,561 active, 28,667 recoveries and 1,103 deaths. Davao de Oro tallied 4,489 cases, Davao del Norte with 11,285, Davao del Sur with 5,319, Davao Occidental with 1,465, and Davao Oriental with 4,253. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
