The Iloilo City Government now considers every COVID-19 patient as a carrier of the more transmissible Delta variant in order to pre-empt a possible worst case scenario.
With this, Iloilo City COVID-19 Team spokesperson Jeck Conlu said they have patterned their approaches and responses on the management of the Delta variant knowing that it is more contagious compared to other variants.
“Kinanglan nga pre-emptive kita, kinanglan nga punggan naton as much as possible kay kon may surge nga ginahambal pareho sa iban nga mga cities kag provinces may pagtaas gid sa mga cases,” he stressed.
Conlu shared that as early as two to three weeks before the confirmation of the entry of the Delta variant in the country, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas already advised the COVID Team to treat all those who contracted the disease as Delta variant cases.
Treñas earlier issued Executive Order No. 83 – 2021 imposing surgical lockdown for nine barangays that have one to two cases of the Delta variant.
These areas are Jereos and Magsaysay in La Paz; Cubay and Tagbak in Jaro; North Fundidor and Katilingban in Molo; and Calahunan, Guzman, and Navais in Mandurriao; Katilingban, Molo; and Navais in Mandurriao, for an interim period of 72 hours from Aug. 25, 2021 until Aug. 28, 2021.
The city logged a total of 15 local cases of the Delta variant including the eleven newly reported cases.
Conlu noted that although all the 11 infections had already been classified recovered, they still consider them as active cases.
The city government also created a “Delta Team” to monitor the implementation of protocols needed such as, among others, backtracking of close contacts, and isolation and re-swab of the patients.
Every week, the Iloilo City Uswag Molecular Laboratory is sending specimen to Philippine Genome Center (PGC) for genome sequencing.
For now, Conlu said they are waiting for the results of 30 more specimens from PGC.IMT
