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Metro Manila is experiencing an increase in the number of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) with 900 reported on average daily and with almost all local government units in the country’s main National Capital Region (NCR) registering increases, according to the academy. based on Octa Research.
This comes as the country recorded 3,439 cases on Saturday, the highest number of new Covid-19 cases this year and the highest since September 21, 2020, which also recorded the same number of cases.
The new and high number of cases brings the total number of cases in the country to 591,138, of which 43,323 were active cases.
One hundred and sixty people recovered from the virus, for a total of 535,350 recoveries, while another 42 were added to the death toll for a total of 12,465.
In its March 5 report, Octa said the increase in cases at NCR was 50 percent higher than the previous reporting week of February 19-25, and 119 percent higher than two weeks ago.
The positivity rate in the region has also risen to 7 percent in the past seven days, and is increasing by one percentage point each week, while the reproduction number, or R0, is 1.47.
According to Octa member Dr. Guido David, Metro Manila already prepared last year for a possible increase through increased contact tracing, testing and improved bed capacity, and that there is still time to control the increase in cases today.
Due to this preparation, David said, there is still no need for Metro Manila to declare an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), but he admitted that “time is running out.”
“The breaking point will be higher … that means we still have time before we hit the breaking point … even if cases double in two weeks, it could take more than a month before we can reach the breaking point. breakup, we have time, “he said. he told The Manila Times in a telephone interview.
The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, agreed with David and said that an ECQ or MECQ is only necessary if it is necessary to apply stricter restrictions to stop the spread of the virus.
“When we get to the point where we have to close our cities because of what is happening, we will do it as an additional measure, but … it may not happen if we all help the government (if we get to that point we have to close our cities so we are living, we will do it as an additional measure, but we will not enforce it either [lockdown] if everyone will help the government) by meeting the minimum public health standards that we have, ”Vergeire added during his regular public information segment on Laging Handa.
Octa said the increase in NCR cases may have been driven by “new, more contagious and lethal variants that could overwhelm the region if they do not decline in the coming weeks,” but added that this concern should be confirmed by genome sequencing. .
“Even if it is not completely driven by [variants], mayroon part dito (there is a part that is) driven by a variant, ”said David.
Manila, Quezon City, Pasay City and Makati City all saw increases in their daily average of new cases, and Pasay had 150 new cases per day, its highest average in its history and higher than what the city reported during the increase in August. 2020.
The research group also considered five barangay (villages) in the city of Pasay as Covid-19 hot spots: Barangay 76, 59, 183, 70 and 36, and Barangay 76 recorded 128 new cases per day during the week of the report.
David acknowledged that there could be some cases that were reported in these barangays because the residents were working there or were admitted to the village hospitals.
“Sometimes people go to work there, kung doon sila na-infect sa place, pwedeng doon sila na-reported as infected doon sila, Hindi kung saan sila nakatira (if they got infected in the workplace, it could be that they reported they have been infected there, not where they live), ”he said.
While the highly infectious B1351 or so-called South African variant of the virus has been identified in Pasay City, Octa said, it is not known how widespread the variant is now in NCR.
Vergeire said an epidemiological investigation is still needed to determine if there is a local transmission of the variant in Pasay City that could have caused the increase in the number of cases.
In other parts of the country, Cebu City virus cases have declined for the first time, indicating a trend reversal in the area as well as Davao City, while slight increases were reported in cities. from Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.
The city of Baguio was also experiencing an increase in new cases and with a positivity rate of 22 percent, and David has hinted that there could be an increase in cases in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Meanwhile, some hospitals have also reported spikes and increases in the number of admissions, with a message circulating on messaging apps saying that St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City has seen a spike in cases, forcing it to open. another room and convert it. in an intensive care unit.
But in a text message to The Times, the hospital denied that its wards were full until Saturday morning.
But at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila, its spokesman, Dr. Jonas Del Rosario, also told this newspaper in a text message that he had to withdraw his medical students, citing a growing number of admissions and workers from first line infected with the virus that he said could come from the variants.
“We do not want to unnecessarily expose our medical employees and interns to patients who could have Covid-19,” Del Rosario said.
Vergeire said the hospital situation in Metro Manila remained manageable, also pointing to early preparation for a possible increase since November last year.
“[We prepared our] hospital[s] have adequate capacity. So you can see that since November our hospital capacity hasn’t increased to 50 percent … But of course there’s also the caveat that we need to help our system by (We prepare our hospitals to have adequate capacity As you have seen “since November, our capacity has not increased above 50 percent. But of course there is still the caveat that we still have to help the system by) meeting the standards,” he added.
Vergeire said the One Hospital Command and Oplan Kalinga, or the transfer of mild cases to temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, have been activated, while the Health Department will coordinate with its regional directors to discuss steps to prevent the increase .
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