Philippines detects first local transmission of Delta variant

Of the 16 new Covid-19 cases found to have contracted the Delta variant, 11 were tagged as locally-acquired cases. - AP file photo

MANILA (Reuters): The Philippines has recorded the country's first locally transmitted cases of the more infectious Delta coronavirus variant, the health ministry said on Friday (July 16), with one person dying from the disease.

Of the 16 new Covid-19 cases found to have contracted the Delta variant, 11 were tagged as locally acquired cases, health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a news conference.