ICYMI, the highly contagious Delta variant has arrived in the Philippines. The Department of Health (DOH) has announced that there are now 35 cases in the country, with one person succumbing to the disease.  

While the government had instituted travel restrictions from areas with high COVID-19 Delta variant occurrences, this was not enough to curb its entrance into the country. The Delta variant is believed to be 60 percent more infectious than the original variant from Wuhan, China and comes with more symptoms as well. 

Signs and symptoms

With the original COVID-19 variant, the typical symptoms of infection are dry cough, fever, fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell, or a combination of these signs. 

The Delta variant, on the other hand, has a different set of symptoms. According to Dr. Inci Yildirim, a Yale Medicine pediatric infectious diseases specialist and a vaccinologist, the more common symptoms associated with COVID-19 are less common in Delta.

“It seems like cough and loss of smell are less common. And headache, sore throat, runny nose, and fever are present based on the most recent surveys in the U.K., where more than 90% of the cases are due to the Delta strain,” she says. 

Better safe than sorry

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are still measures that you can take to protect yourself from possible infection. Aside from standard COVID-19 protocol like washing your hands, wearing a mask, and social distancing, ventilation is key in preventing infection. If you’re indoors, make sure that the area you’re in is well-ventilated. The better the airflow, the lower the chance of catching the virus. 

If you’re experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms, it’s better to voluntarily isolate and get tested for COVID-19 than run the risk of infecting others. Getting vaccinated is the best line of defense against COVID-19, but following protocol is still effective in curbing the spread.