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Secretary of Health Francisco Duque III. Screenshot of Kapihan in a video interview from Manila Bay.
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) will not know until January 15 if there has been an increase in coronavirus infections in the country due to the Christmas and New Year meetings, Health Secretary Francisco said Monday. Duke III.
Even if the number of new confirmed infections has remained low, Duque said, the DOH could not conclude that the holiday season did not lead to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases because many people postponed going to the hospital for tests. days before Christmas and the turn of the year.
“We will only know on January 15 if the expected increase will occur or not because during this Christmas season, Christmas and New Year, the health-seeking behavior of our compatriots was not like before when they saw a doctor more frequently or had laboratory tests. ”Duque said at a press conference.
Health Expert Warning
Health experts previously warned of an increase in coronavirus infections due to celebrations and gatherings during the holidays. They called on the public to avoid large gatherings and limit visits to other homes while continuing to observe health measures to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
On Monday, the DOH reported an additional 959 coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to 478,761.
The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, attributed the low number of new cases to the closure of some laboratories and the postponement of people’s tests during the holidays.
Some labs have also failed to submit test results on time. Vergeire said DOH suspended one large lab and warned four others for failing to consistently report test results.
In Monday’s DOH report, Quezon City had the most new infections, 73, followed by Davao City (70), Rizal (58), Agusan del Sur province (44) and Laguna (41).
The DOH said 26 more patients had recovered, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 448,279. But the death toll rose to 9,263 with the death of six more patients.
Recoveries and deaths left the country with 21,219 active cases, of which 81.7 percent were mild, 7.9 percent asymptomatic, 0.57 moderate, 3.4 percent severe, and 6.4 percent critical.
Travel ban
Meanwhile, the government-imposed travel ban on 20 countries with reported cases of the new variant of the coronavirus may be expanded to include Filipino migrant workers in those countries.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Monday that the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will discuss on Thursday a proposal to ban Filipinos working in those countries from returning home.
He said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration was “very concerned” that it would soon run out of accommodation for returning migrants because between 1,000 and 3,500 of them were repatriated daily.
Under revised health rules since the variant outbreak, returning migrants must self-quarantine for 14 days, even if they have tested negative for the COVID-19 virus.
“It is very possible that the [travel ban] also going to [be applied to overseas Filipino workers] considering the very [fast] transmission of the new variant ”, said Bello.
Between 60,000 and 70,000 migrants displaced by the pandemic are still waiting to be repatriated, he added.
For more news on the new coronavirus, click here.
What you need to know about the coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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