The University of the Philippines-OCTA Research Team on Sunday said the reproduction rate of the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19 continued to go up in the National Capital Region.
As of Dec. 11, the reproduction rate was at 0.99, a member of the team, Guido David, told GMA News, adding that it would be above 1 in one to two days.
The reproduction rate is the average number of people infected by one person in a susceptible population, according to the World Health Organization.
From 0.90 on Dec. 1, NCR’s coronavirus reproduction number hit 0.94 on Dec. 5, then reached 0.96 on Dec. 10, the OCTA Research said.
It was 0.88 last November, the report said.
A value higher than 1 indicates the pandemic is spreading.
Guido said the increase in the coronavirus reproduction rate in NCR could be attributed to the fact that more people are outside.
"It looks like this is the increase due to the holiday mobility. The upward trend is real but it is not necessarily permanent and this trend is reversible," David said on Saturday.
1,085 new cases logged
The Philippines logged 1,085 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases on Sunday, bringing the total to 449,400 in the country, as nine laboratories failed to submit their data on time, the Department of Health reported.
The DOH also reported 9,269 new recoveries as it implemented its weekly “mass recovery,” pushing the total number of Filipinos who recovered from the disease to 418,687, which is 93.2 percent of the total cases.
Three more deaths were reported from the illness, bringing COVID-19’s death toll in the Philippines to 8,733, which is 1.94 percent of the total cases.
This meant that the country has a total of 21,980 active cases as of 4 p.m. Sunday. This is 4.9 percent of the total cases.
Of the active cases, 84.4 percent are mild; 5.8 percent are asymptomatic; 6.3 percent are critical; 3.2 percent are severe; and 0.33 percent are moderate.
Quezon City reported the most new confirmed cases at 103. Rizal province had 46 new cases, while Makati had 44, Manila had 43, and Pasig had 39.
Kids below 16 won't get jabs
Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor on Sunday said Filipino children under 16 years of age will not be receiving any shots of the most promising COVID-19 vaccine that has already obtained emergency use authorizations (EUAs) in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
“For now, the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE cannot be used on individuals younger than 16 years old, based on our comprehensive review of the EUAs issued by pharmaceutical regulators in the three countries,” he said.
“The use of the vaccine in pregnant women and mothers who are breastfeeding is also either totally not recommended, or being discouraged with stern warnings,” said Defensor, vice chairman of the House committee on health.
De Lima bill seeks free
COVID-19 shots
Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has filed a measure providing free COVID-19 vaccines to all Filipinos and establishing a safe and efficient system of distribution and delivery.
De Lima filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 1942, or the “Libreng Bakuna Kontra COVID-19 Para sa Lahat ng Pilipino Act,” which allocates funds and mandates the country’s health system to offer vaccines against COVID-19 free of charge.
De Lima also said it cannot be overemphasized that vaccine coverage is as important as vaccine efficacy,” she added.
De Lima recalled that the executive branch has reported about its continued negotiations with pharmaceutical companies for the supply of at least 14 specific COVID-19 vaccines for local use, but she said “its vaccination plan leaves much to be desired.”
National Policy Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the country will now have to fight for the remaining percentage of future COVID-19 vaccine supplies as 80 percent of the global market had already been bought up by rich countries.
However, De Lima said this should not be an excuse for a delayed response in securing vaccine supplies considering that new suppliers with equally good efficacy rates have emerged.