By Froilan Gallardo
Special Correspondent
THE euphoria was short-lived.
The Department of Health Region 10 today said 27 new cases of Delta variant have been detected in the city, bringing the number to 58.
The announcement ended the several days of euphoria here after a drop of Covid-19 cases was reported on August 28, the feast of St. Augustine, patron saint of Cagayan de Oro.
Mayor Oscar Moreno said the big number of new Delta variant cases would put additional strain on the contact tracers of the city.
“We are already grappling with the Covid-19 cases and now this. It will add more work to our contact tracers,” Moreno said.
DOH-10 assistant Director Dr. David Mendoza said the Philippine Genome Center detected 48 new cases of Delta variant cases throughout northern Mindanao from the swab results taken from August 6 to August 10.
Aside from the 27 cases in Cagayan de Oro, Mendoza said 11 cases were detected in Bukidnon, four in Lanao del Norte; one in Camiguin and five in Misamis Oriental.
Mendoza said the local government units of these areas are presently conducting intensive validation and contact tracing.
Dr. Ted Yu of the Cagayan de Oro City Health Office said of the 27 Delta variant cases in the city, 16 are males and 11 are female.
Yu said seven cases are also working in the same construction company in Barangay 30.
“The youngest is ten years old and the oldest is 86 years old,” Yu said.
He said two patients from Barangays Nazareth and Bugo have already died but three cases were already found to be negative for the coronavirus.
Yu said those infected by the Delta variant came from Barangay Indahag, one; Cugman, two; Gusa, two; Balulang, two; Bonbon, one; Barangay 25, one; Barangay 10, one; and barangay 11; one.
He said 17 of the cases are already confined at a city temporary treatment monitoring facility.
