A member of the OCTA Research Team that has been tracking the COVID-19 pandemic cautioned against reopening Cebu province to tourism amid the rising cases there and the presence of the more transmissible UK variant.
‘‘It’s concerning if the UK variant is spreading in the area, and that’s going to be problematic. We can’t say for sure that its really spreading because not many samples underwent sequencing,” Dr. Guido David said.
In an interview on ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo, Guido said other indicators on COVID-19 incidence across Cebu are also too high.
Guido said Cebu City has an average of 165 cases per day. This is almost at the same level last year when the city was under enhanced community quarantine, he said. The only difference is that hospital occupancy is not yet full at 46 percent.
1,928 new cases logged
The Philippines logged on Sunday 1,928 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) , bringing the total to 549,176, as five laboratories failed to submit their data on time, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.
The DOH reported eight new fatalities, bringing the death toll since the pandemic began to 11,515, which is 2.1 percent of total cases.
The DOH also reported that 10,967 patients recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 511,743, which is 93.2 percent of the total cases.
That left 25,918 active cases, which is 4.7 percent of the total. Of the active cases, 86 percent are mild; 7.2 percent are asymptomatic; 3 percent are critical; 2.9 percent are severe; and 0.91 percent are moderate.
Back-to-school plan supported
Senator Joel Villanueva is rallying behind the government’s decision to gradually reopen colleges for face-to-face classes, beginning with those in health and medical courses.
“For as long as it is safe, limited, and complies with health protocols, I see no problem in the joint decision of CHED and DOH to slowly resume classroom learning,” said the chairman of the Senate committee on higher education.
Villanueva said medical schools should be trusted to “create a learning environment where one can acquire knowledge without acquiring the virus in the process.”
“Some skills should be learned hands on and in person,” he said. “There are limits to distance learning. The practical application of theories will have to be done in a laboratory or workshop setting."
But face-to-face instruction should not be at the expense of the student’s health and wellbeing, he added.