The Delta variant is more frightening than the other variants because it can infect up to eight people around it, and the eight infected can infect eight more each.
According to Dr. Edsel Salvaña of the Inter-Agency Task Force Technical Advisory Group, Delta is more than 60 percent more contagious. Still, it can be prevented by following health protocols such as social distancing, wearing face masks and face shields, and getting vaccinated.
“..it is three times more contagious than the original SARS COV-2 virus,” Salvaña said during the IATF meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte last Saturday night.
If previously it takes three days before the COVID-19 variants could infect humans, Delta would infect others with only a shorter time or 30 hours. Other variants can infect close contacts within 15 minutes, but the Delta variant can infect 1-2 minutes.
However, Salvaña said, he hopes that the measures taken by the government against the spread of such variant are correct.
Delta variant can infect 8 people in 1-2 minutes
“Face shield, face mask, physical distancing, and of course, we have to vaccinate everyone. We need to make sure na maglevel up ang ating compliance because the variant has levelled up,” said Salvaña.
He also said that vaccination against COVID-19 should be continued, and if it can be done faster, it will be better, and while following health protocols, the Philippines may not be like the neighboring ASEAN nations.
The Department of Health (DOH) has recommended tighter border control and readiness of hospitals in the face of the threat of the more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.
At the Inter-Agency Task Force meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday night, the DOH also recommended monitoring local government units (LGUs) on endorsed arrivals or those entering their jurisdictions and implementing localized lockdown.
“Despite the data showing that there is already local transmission, border control continues to be a very critical component that we hope will continue to slow entry of more individuals who are positive, not just for Delta but also other variants of concern that may be discovered in the future,” said Dr. Anna Ong Lim of DOH technical advisory group.
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