The de-escalation of community quarantine level of Metro Manila to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) may affect the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region.
The OCTA Research Group said the cases in the country may surpass the 500,000 projection for the end of the year if the public remains complacent in the upcoming holiday season.
“‘Yung nakikita natin, although pababa ang general trend sa Metro Manila ng new cases, nagkaroon tayo ng uptick (Although the general trend is going down for new cases in Metro Manila, there is an uptick),” Dr. Guido David stated.
“By next week pa natin masasabi definitely kung patuloy pataas ang trend. Next week kung tumataas pa rin, magiging alarmed na rin tayo (We can only tell definitely by next week if the trend continuous to go up. We should be alarmed if it keeps going up next week),” David added.
The experts advised that minimum health protocols must be effectively communicated and strictly observed as more and more people go out of their houses.
“There is a very strong possibility given ‘yung pagbukas ng ekonomiya, paglabas ng mga tao, at pag-deteriorate ng ating ibang mamamayan ng disiplina sa health standards. Pero hindi naman nangangahulugang magkaka-surge tayo, iyon nga ang kailangang goal (There is a strong possibility given the opening of the economy, the movement of people, and deterioration of discipline in health standards among our people. But this doesn’t mean we will have a surge which is our goal),” Prof. Ranjit Rye stated.
David explained that MGCQ may be possible by first quarter of next year if the trend of cases continues to decline.
As of December 1, the Department of Health (DOH) has recorded 1,298 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 432,925. There are 398,782 recoveries and 8,418 deaths. A total of 25,725 cases are active. – Report from Mica Joson, PTV News Online
