The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines increased to 169,213 on Tuesday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 4,836 new infections.
This marks the seventh straight day in which more than 3,000 new cases were reported.
The number of new infections was based on the reports filed by 84 out of 105 operational testing labs.
The DOH reported seven new fatalities, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 2,687.
The department also announced 182 recoveries, bringing to 112,861 the number of patients who have recovered from the disease.
Metro Manila still logged the highest number of new cases at 2,959, followed by Laguna with 321, Cavite with 220, Rizal with 185, and Bulacan with 145.
MECQ helped, UP researcher says
The Philippines is now close to flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases when Metro Manila and four provinces were under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), a researcher from the University of the Philippines said Tuesday.
Prof. Guido David of UP-OCTA Research Team, in an interview on Unang Hirit, said that the 15-day MECQ, which would end on Aug. 18, caused a decline in COVID-19 cases.
David noted that the R-naught (R0), which describes the reproduction of COVID-19 cases, dropped from 1.5 in end of July to 1.1 now in August. An R0 below 1 means a flattened curve, he said.
Ex-health adviser sees 250,000 cases soon
The country’s COVID-19 tally could reach 250,000 cases by the end of August as Metro Manila and other urban centers ease the pandemic lockdown, a former government adviser said on Tuesday.
The tally increased by an average of 4,000 cases a day even during stricter quarantine measures, said Dr. Tony Leachon, in an interview on ANC.
Leachon is a former adviser of the National Task Force on COVID-19 response.
The reproductive number—the number of people an infected person can pass the virus to—is at 1.12. The Philippines’ positivity rate, or the share of tests that come back positive is 12 percent, higher than the ideal 5 percent set by the World Health Organization, Leachon said.
“All the metrics for acceleration of the cases are there,” he added.
Rise in cases alarming, Drilon says
Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon yesterday expressed grave concerns over the country’s continued failure to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), saying that the government should consider as a “red flag” the 13.3 percent rolling average infection rate recorded over a seven-day period.
“The Covid-19 cases continue to rise at an alarming rate. The percentage of positive tests is hitting 13.3 percent despite putting Metro Manila, the center of Covid-19 in the country, under a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ),” Drilon said.
“To me, that’s a ‘red flag’ already. Either we are not doing enough or we are totally mismanaging this pandemic,” he added. “While the IATF published a NAP, or National Action Plan for Covid-19, they’re maybe taking a nap, instead of managing the spread of the virus.”
Medical workers see improvement
A coalition of medical groups that called for a two-week "time-out" due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday said they saw improvements in response strategies.
But the coalition also stressed that plans need enforcement.
The Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 (HPAAC) said their talks with health care workers, government agencies, the private sector, and civil society led to the development of a "sturdy" plan against the disease.
Dr. Antonio Dans, of the Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine, said they found that hospitals were being filled to capacity because of "weak coordination," which he said may be addressed by the One Hospital Command system.
Launched last week, the One Hospital Command system aims to improve the referral system and interoperability of public and private health care facilities catering to COVID-19 patients nationwide.
Dans also identified as "areas of great improvement" workplace and transportation safety guidelines, and the strengthening of the Health Technology Assessment Council.