The Department of Health (DOH) emphasized the importance of compliance with minimum health standards for COVID-19 cases, especially now that some areas will be placed under general community quarantine.
The minimum health standards include decrease vulnerability or increase resilience, decrease transmission, decrease contact, and decrease infectiousness.
DOH USec. Maria Rosario Vergeire explained curve flattening is also dependent on the compliance with the said health standards.
The DOH said an additional two weeks is meant to prolong the doubling time of COVID-19 cases in relation to the extension of the ECQ in some regions.
Meanwhile, the certification of the Philippine Genome Center as COVID-19 testing center has been approved, bringing the total number of COVID-19 testing laboratories to 18.
A total of 68,765 individuals have been tested as of April 23, in which 13 percent tested positive while 87 percent tested negative.
The DOH targets to test 28,000 individuals in the next two months to have a clearer picture of the disease in the country. It added that the newly launched Task Force T3 (Test-Trace-Treat) will be of great help.
Latest data of the health department show the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 7,192. The recoveries also rose to 762 as 40 were reported to have recovered from the disease while the death toll is now at 477.
The number of active cases or patients currently recovering is at 5, 953. The DOH also declared 26 provinces as free from COVID-19.
