By Katrina Gracia Consebido
The OCTA Research Group said Thursday, May 5 that there is “nothing concerning at this time” in terms of COVID-19 figures as cases recorded per day remain low.
Prof. Guido David, an OCTA Research fellow, said the country has a reproduction number of 0.62, a slight increase from last week’s figures, but with less than 200 positive cases per day.
“Ngayon, bahagyang tumaas iyan kumpara sa nakaraan na linggo, from 187 ay tumaas sa 193,” David said.
“Pero nothing concerning at this time iyong hospital utilization natin pati sa NCR ay mababa pa rin, nasa 21%. Iyong positivity rate ay nasa 1.2%. So mababa iyong mga numbers natin. Wala pa tayong nakikitang talagang pagtaas ng bilang ng kaso,” he added.
David said there is still a possibility of a case spike, citing that daily reported cases in India and the United States have reached 100,000.
“Sa atin, wala pa naman, pero hindi natin masasabi kung kailan …baka may makapasok na subvariant – sana naman ay wala,” he said.
“Kung wala namang panibagong subvariant tayong makita na makapasok dito, baka mananatili tayong less than 500 cases per day. Tulad ngayon, nasa 200 lang. Pero puwedeng magbago iyan kung may makita tayong mga subvariant na kumalat dito bigla,” he added.
He also mentioned that the country should not wait for another variant to enter the country, and reiterated the importance of practicing health protocols and getting vaccinated to avoid another surge. –ag
