Families are affected by the increase in COVID-19 cases

MANILA, Philippines – Along with an increase in COVID-19 cases, emergency rooms in Metro Manila hospitals are experiencing a “family clustering” of infections of late.

Family grouping means that the patients belong to the same family and there are children among them.

“I confirm that we are experiencing an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in all emergency departments or hospitals. Not only that, there are family clusters, which is unusual, ”Dr. Pauline Convocar, president of the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine, said Sunday.

“We used to count individual cases. Now we see entire families coming for consultation, so that is what is unusual today, ”he said. Most patients show mild to moderate symptoms and do not require admission, he added.

For family groups, children generally have mild symptoms, while older household members show moderate to severe symptoms.

“I don’t have the numbers, but there are reports that they are seeing pediatric cases, so I think we need to look into this particular area as well,” Convocar said.

She said patients in emergency rooms were piling up, as hospitals cannot admit those with severe symptoms as quickly as they arrive.

Due to the increase in cases, hospitals are again using tents to handle consultations and have opened additional rooms for COVID-19.

“It is not just about beds, but about having health workers, nurses and doctors, to take care of those beds… So, even if we open floors, we cannot admit emergency patients because no one will attend to them. So they are trapped in the emergency department, ”Convocar said.

Steep climb

The OCTA group of researchers from the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomás said Sunday that daily cases in Metro Manila increased 42 percent from the previous week and 130 percent from two weeks ago.

From February 28 to March 6, an average of 1,025 new infections have been detected in the metropolis, with 1,464 new cases confirmed on March 6.

The rate of increase in cases is comparable to the levels observed in July last year, when the region’s hospitals were overwhelmed.

“This increase is spreading faster than the July-August increase, and this suggests the possibility that the increase is driven by variants of SARS-CoV-2. The original strain does not spread as quickly considering current health guidelines, ”the researchers said in their latest monitoring reports.

“Based on the current playing number of 1.66, [Metro Manila] it is projected to have 2,000 new COVID-19 cases per day by March 21 and 3,000 new cases per day by the end of March, ”they said.

Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said Sunday that the trend was “alarming” and urged all hospitals to prepare for a steeper increase in cases.

“[L]Take a look at the cases and then compare them to the cases from August 2020 when we hit 5,000 cases. [daily]. We are already near the middle. In other words, we are now in the middle of that peak, ”Vega said.

If the increase in Metro Manila is not controlled, OCTA said, the entire country would have between 5,000 and 6,000 new cases a day by the end of March.

But the increase in Metro Manila is still in its early stages and can still be mitigated or even reversed through timely action, the group said.

More infections

On Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 3,276 new cases of COVID-19, the third consecutive day of more than 3,000 cases daily, bringing the total to 594,412.

With 51 more deaths, including 13 that were previously tagged as recovered, the death toll stood at 12,516.

The DOH declared 10,516 people recovered with mild or no symptoms after observing a two-week quarantine, bringing the total recoveries to 545,853.

That left the country with 36,043 active cases, of which 90.6 percent were mild, 4.2 percent asymptomatic, 0.91 percent moderate, 2.1 percent severe, and 2.2 percent. critical cent.

To help stem the increase, the mayors of Metro Manila agreed during a meeting on Saturday to suspend the reopening of cinemas and arcades in the metropolis, the head of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Benhur Abalos, said on Sunday. .

Ábalos said that the doubling of COVID-19 cases in the metropolis in a period of 12 days motivated the mayors’ decision.

DOH began noticing a sharp increase in coronavirus cases last week, alarming the public and health experts.

Despite warnings from Metro mayors, the Interagency Working Group for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the temporary government body that oversees the Duterte administration’s response to coronavirus, approved the reopening of cinemas and arcades from March 5.

Large shopping centers, however, delayed reopening to await the start signal from local governments.

—WITH A REPORT FROM MEG ADONIS

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