Cases rising in 14 Metro areas, QC under yellow status for surge
Majority of the cities in Metro Manila have posted an uptick in COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health said on Saturday, adding the positive growth may be due to the presence of Omicron subvariants and the waning immunity of the population since many have not yet received their booster shots.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said out of the 16 cities and one municipality in the National Capital Region, “there are 14 with positive growth rate.”
The increase, however, “is not sustained,” she said.
“We are seeing the positivity rate has increased to 1.6%,” she said.
Vergeire said Quezon City, NCR’s largest city, is under yellow status, indicating that there is a possibility of a surge in the next 14 days.
The Health official, however, said the public should not panic as the government is monitoring the situation so that hospitals will not be overwhelmed.
She added the the increase in cases was not significant because admissions in hospitals as well as severe and critical cases are not increasing.
Meanwhile, Vergeire said the DOH has already NCR… identified all the close contacts of the Omicron subvariant cases, with all of them asymptomatic even as some are still recovering.
She said the three close contacts of the newly identified BA.5 cases did not have symptoms and tested negative for COVID-19.
The country has a total of 5 subvariant BA.5 cases and 29 locally-detected BA.2.12.1 infections.
On Wednesday, Health Secretary Franciso Duque III said the COVID-19 situation in the country already “seems contained” but it is still “capable of springing surprises.”
“So far, given our measures, our interventions, it seems contained,” Duque said.
However, he said it is still not the time to be complacent.
“We are realistic to accept the fact that this virus is notorious for mutations. It is capable of springing surprises at every turn. And so, we have to be realistic, we have to temper our expectations. What is more important is the realization that the virus is here to stay,” Duque added.
Meanwhile, the OCTA Research group advised the incoming administration to keep its pandemic response centralized, like the current system implemented by the Duterte administration.
“The One Health Command system is a good measure to be kept, one where there is a centralized response. Although the pandemic is slowing down, the virus is still there,” OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said.Cases rising in 14 Metro areas, QC under yellow status for surge
