Delta variant enters Cordillera

The municipality of Pudtol, Apayao undergoes lockdown to give way for aggressive mass testing and heightened contact tracing.

Apayao Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force (PIATF) confirmed the presence of the delta variant of COVID-19 in Pudtol. The information was relayed by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) on Friday, August 6, 2021.

The individual was reported to be infected by the variant last month.

Moreover, the Department of Health (DOH) Cordillera stated that although the infected individual has already recovered, more details of the case are being verified by the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU) team. Further, the health agency announced that back-tracing of close contacts is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Apayao Governor Eleanor Bulut-Begtang assured that the situation in the province is under control. She said the PIATF and the Pudtol IATF are conducting massive tracing of individuals who have had interactions and contact with the confirmed delta variant case and will be subjected to undergo RT-PCR testing.

Begtang appealed to the Apayao residents to be vigilant and strictly follow the health protocols.