The Department of Health (DOH) projected possible scenarios of the COVID-19 active cases in Metro Manila by the end of September depending on the duration of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in place.
The DOH said the active cases in Metro Manila will decrease to 15,262 by the end of September if the ECQ is extended to five weeks. However, if the ECQ lasts for three weeks and followed by two weeks of modified ECQ, the active cases in NCR may reach 42,050, while the active cases in the region may hit 58,255 if the region’s current classification is only followed by three weeks of MECQ.
“So based on these projections kapag tayo ay nagkaroon ng pagluwag in the coming weeks, maaaring maging ganito. That is not cast in stone, these are projections. Maaari pa natin yang mapigilan, marami pa tayong pwedeng gawin. Kailangan din nating tandaan, hindi lang lockdown ang sagot sa pagtaas ng kaso,” DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
Usec. Vergeire emphasized that the lockdown was implemented to prepare the country’s health care system against the threat of the Delta variant.
The department again called on hospitals to accept severe to critical COVID-19 patients first.
“Nung pinakita ‘yung sa NCR, kung tayo ay magtutuloy dito sa two weeks na lockdown tapos magtutuloy tayo into MECQ, naipakita nila dito na ‘yung ating current capacity ay maghuhusto kung severe and critical lang ang ipapasok natin dito sa ating mga ospital,” Vergeire said.
The DOH reminded the mild and asymptomatic patients to proceed to the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities.
Report from Mark Fetalco/NGS-rir
