PARAÑAQUE CITY, (PIA) -- Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano allayed fears following the detection of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the city, and said vaccination is a weapon against its infection and spread.

“Wear your masks, face shield and (keep your) distance so that the Delta variant will not spread. This is more contagious and it has a higher percentage of being hospitalized. Another important weapon against the Delta variant is vaccination,” Cayetano said.

The mayor warned that Delta is poised be the dominant variant and said that “one of the most important weapons against the Delta variant is personal responsibility.”

For his part, Clarence Santos, head of the Taguig Safe City Task Force confirmed that the highly dreaded and contagious Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, has been detected in the city.

"One case of the Delta variant has been confirmed in Taguig, according to the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CEDSU)," Santos said.

As of July 12, Taguig’s CEDSU said there are 73 cases of COVID-19 variants in Taguig: one Delta variant, 26 Alpha variants including two recent cases detected between June 3 and 7; and 46 Beta variants including three cases last detected between June 4 and 5.

On July 17, Taguig reported 51 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city to bring the total active cases to 417. As of July 16, Taguig has 29,673 confirmed COVID-19 cases including 28,975 recoveries and 281 deaths.

By the end of the year, the city aims to inoculate 680,000 individuals.(Taguig PIO/PIA-NCR)