The National Task Force Against COVID-19 has called the Singaporean article on the Philippines being the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) hotspot in Southeast Asia as “speculation.”
The article cited that the number of cases in the Philippines is expected to rise, making it the next COVID-19 hotspot in the region.
The NTF has strongly reacted to the article and pointed out that the rise of the cases is the effect of the strengthened government measures against the virus.
“Tayo na yata ang pinakamataas sa Southeast Asia in terms of tests per day, umaabot na tayo ngayon ng mahigit 30,000 per day. Ang Indonesia ay halos kalahati lang noon, ang Singapore, wala pa sa kalahati. (We may be the highest in Southeast Asia in terms of tests per day. We are now reaching more than 30,000 per day. [The number of tests in] Indonesia is almost half [of ours] while Singapore does not reach half [of ours]). I’d rather not comment on the speculations made by a newspaper in another country” NTF Deputy Chief Implementer Secretary Vince Dizon has stated.
According to NTF Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., “Causal effect ‘yan eh. Dapat ang tingnan natin yung brighter side of it, na yung cases will continue but importante rito, yung active cases napababa natin, at yung fatality rate ay mababa rin po. ‘Yun po ay kasama sa strategy natin, (That’s a causal effect. We must look at the brighter side of it, that the cases will continue but what is significant is the decrease in the number of active cases and fatality rate which is part of our strategy). For as long as we manage the severe and critical cases, and reduce death to the minimal, we are good.”
Meanwhile, the Palace has reiterated that the government measures are enough to prevent the spread of the virus in the Philippines.
