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MANILA, Philippines – Be careful about “joining or organizing meetings” this holiday season as there has been a slight spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in November, OCTA Research warned the public in its latest report.
The group noted that the daily average number of cases per week differed in just five patients: 1,567 from November 11 to 17 and 1,572 from November 18 to 24.
“While this may be cause for concern, it should NOT be a cause for alarm or panic,” the OCTA investigation said. “The situation in the country is still manageable. However, the data reinforces the view that current positive trends in the Philippines and in the NCR are subdued and can easily be reversed if the government, private sector, and public become less vigilant and complacent in the fight against COVID-19. “
“There is evidence from Europe and North America that increased social mixing between households is driving the second wave of COVID-19 in these parts of the world,” the group added.
“To avoid a similar wave here in the Philippines, we encourage the government and LGUs to enforce the current GCQ limit of 10 people per meeting at the NCR and discourage office parties and other social events, especially as we get closer to the Christmas season. ” the research team stressed.
“Family gatherings should be limited in size and should be held outdoors to mitigate transmission. To this end, we also echo the DOH’s call for citizens to avoid closed and congested spaces as much as possible, ”he added.
OCTA Research is an independent interdisciplinary group comprised of scientists mostly from the University of the Philippines with some collaborators from the University of Santo Tomas and Providence College in the United States.
According to the group, the Philippines was able to maintain a low breeding number of 0.83 from November 17 to 23. But he was unable to determine what exactly caused the slight increase, if it was due to recent typhoons, a “general pandemic.” fatigue ”due to adherence to health protocols, openness of the economy or a combination of all these factors.
The researchers also noted that late results or delays may also be the reason, as some test sites temporarily halted operations during the Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses attack.
Whatever the case, the group said, “what is clear is that if this trend continues, it would indicate a gradual increase in COVID-19 cases.”
As of Wednesday, the Department of Health (DOH) has registered 422,915 cases of COVID-19 nationwide, of which 27,745 are considered active, while 386,955 have recovered. The death toll was 8,215.
The government, particularly the DOH, has been pushing for Christmas parties to be held online, rather than in person, to prevent further broadcasts.
Back in October, local executives raised concerns about a possible spike in COVID-19 cases if people persist in having Christmas parties in person.
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