Cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines may surpass the 100,000-mark by the end of August, an expert from the University of the Philippines said Tuesday, as he urged the government to tweak pandemic protocols.
“Sa nakita ko, iyong trend niya mas mataas pa, mas hihigit pa sa 100,000 kung hindi natin baguhin iyong ating sistema, ating pag-handle ng pandemya (Based on what I saw, the trend is that it will increase, surpass 100,000 if we don’t change our system, our handling of the pandemic.),” said Dr. Guido David, a member of the UP OCTA Research group.
The cases are increasing by at least 1,000 cases a day and areas without any COVID-19 case before lockdowns were eased recently became virus hotspots, said the mathematics professor.
Authorities should tighten border controls, ramp up coronavirus screening, and bring those who test positive for the virus to isolation facilities instead of going on home quarantine, David said.
The government should also rethink the transportation of workers, after scores of MRT personnel caught the virus, he said.
The professor also urged the public to wear masks, and practice physical distancing and hygiene.
The DOH on Monday reported 2,099 additional COVID-19 cases in the country, including a record-high 1,258 “fresh cases” in a single day, bringing the cumulative total to 46,333.
The 2,099 additional cases reported on Monday is the second highest in a day since the COVID-19 outbreak reached the Philippines in January. The highest number of additional cases — at 2,434 — was reported on Sunday.
Of Monday’s additional cases, 841 were “late cases”, or those whose test results were released four days ago or earlier. “Fresh cases” are those whose results were released within the last 3 days.
Of the fresh cases, 601 are from the National Capital Region, 280 are from Region 7 (Central Visayas), 48 are Filipino repatriates, and 329 were tagged as “Others.” Others may refer to cases from other regions or those without location data.
Of the late cases, 397 are from NCR, 186 from Central Visayas, 212 are tagged as “Others”, and 46 are Filipino repatriates./More than a hundred foreign nationals in the Philippines have contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, meanwhile, said that of the 127 foreigners in the country infected with COVID-19, 74 had been discharged from the hospital while eight died.
The remaining 45 foreigners were still in the hospital.
“For the COVID-19 patients currently admitted in Chinese General Hospital, confirmed positive (cases) are Filipinos who are mostly from Metro Manila,” Vergeire said in a briefing.
The Manila International Airport Authority on Saturday announced that international flight operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport would resume on July 8./Stacy Ang
