The OCTA Research Group has proposed to strengthen other local governments’ measures against COVID-19 for a more effective granular lockdown implementation in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The group said the shift to a new lockdown system will be effective if “combined with testing, tracing and isolation and of course the cooperation of the community.”
Prof. Guido David said reported new cases may increase to 30,000 if the granular lockdowns and interventions in place do not work.
Before the country’s move to focus on localized lockdowns after Sept. 15, the nationwide positivity rate reached its highest record since the pandemic began at 28.8% on Sept. 6.
On Sept. 4, the country tested 74,034 individuals, followed by 73,472 on Sept. 5, and 73,264 on Sept. 6. Prof. Ranjit Rye of OCTA Research said testing should be doubled to “have an impact on the positivity rate that we have now.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed support for granular lockdowns, but suggested further strengthening testing capacity.
WHO country representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe said not even half of the 275 testing facilities in the country are being fully utilized.
He added that there should be accurate information in terms of patient number, testing positivity rates, severity of cases, and the location of case clusters through effective contact tracing.
Healthcare occupancy
As of Sept. 5, 13 out of the 32 COVID-19 referral centers in the country have critical utilization levels.
Department of Health (DOH) data show that 80% of the COVID-19 beds of referral hospitals are occupied, while 79% of the more than 1,800 ICU beds are utilized.
The DOH has advised local governments anew to strengthen their Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategies and to intensify their vaccination programs. – Report from Mark Fetalco/AG-rir
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