OVER 2,000 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases were reported by the Department of Health yesterday, raising the overall tally to 226,440 and begging the question: When will the country flatten the curve?
In its latest bulletin, the DOH said of the 2,218 new cases, majority came anew from the National Capital Region (1,163), with Laguna reporting 112 new cases, Cebu 107, Iloilo 82, and Negros Occidental 81.
There were 27 more deaths, meaning the total number of fatalities has risen to 3,623. Majority of the new deaths were recorded in NCR with 10.
Other deaths were reported from Calabarzon (8), Western Visayas (4), Central Luzon (2), Central Visayas (1), Eastern Visayas (1), and ROF (1).
The DOH said there were 609 new recoveries, raising the number of survivors to 158,610.
Globally, as of September 1, there were 25,327,098 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 848,255 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
The Department of Foreign Affairs reported 10 new COVID-19 infections and two new fatalities among overseas Filipinos.
The new cases were recorded in the Americas and the Middle East, bringing the total number of overseas Filipinos infected with the virus since its outbreak to 10,096, while the number of deaths now stand at 757. The two new deaths also took place in the Middle East.
The DFA also reported three new recoveries in the Middle East and Europe, bringing the total recoveries to 6,177.
The Middle East and African regions continued to have the most number of confirmed COVID cases and fatalities among overseas Filipinos with 6,975 and 476, respectively.
The DOH reported the continued improvement in the country’s indicators on the spread of COVID-19 cases.
As of August 31, the country’s Case Doubling Time (CDT) has improved to 10.08 days as compared to 1.55 days in March 15. Similarly, the Mortality Doubling Time (MDT) has gone up to 14.67 days as compared to 0.96 days in March 15, the agency said.
“As we have said before, the longer doubling time we have, the slower the spread of the transmission is,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media forum.
Regarding the Reproduction Rate or r-naught (R0) of COVID-19 in the country, she said it is currently pegged at 0.977 as compared to 1.50 back in March 15.
“The goal with the reproduction rate is to have less than 1 person that could be infected by a positive case at a given time,” said Vergeire, adding the improvement in the three indicators likely means the health standards adopted by the DOH are proving effective in controlling the spread of COVID-19.
“(But) we have to be cautious in interpreting these different indicators. There are several factors that could affect these indicators,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court yesterday extended until September 30 the ban on the transfer of prisoners from PNP detention facilities to jails operated by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology as part of measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus among persons deprived of liberty.
Also suspended for the same period is the transfer of convicted inmates from BJMP jails to the Bureau of Corrections.
The original circular on the ban was issued after Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano requested the SC “that the issuance of commitment orders (to the facilities of the BJMP be temporarily suspended to prevent the further contamination of COVID-19 among PDLs in all jail units nationwide.”
The ban on the transfer of PDLs from BJMP to BuCor facilities was requested by BuCor Director General Gerald Bantag last July 22. The ban was originally until August 31.
The Department of Justice said former Calauan, Laguna mayor and convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez has asked to be transferred to the Philippine General Hospital from the New Bilibid Prison Hospital in Muntinlupa for further medical test.
Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said the Bureau of Corrections is still waiting for the result of the swab test administered on Sanchez to determine if he is infected with COVID-19.
Perete said Sanchez was diagnosed to have electrolyte imbalance secondary to acute gastro enteritis, chronic kidney disease, hypertension and benign prostatic hypertrophy.
Sanchez, who is serving seven life terms for the 1993 rape and killings of UPLB students Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, was initially brought to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa on Monday night, complaining of shortness of breath.
Since he was also experiencing flu-like symptoms, prison authorities brought him back to the national penitentiary. BuCor Spokesman Gabriel Chaclag said Sanchez was then brought to the hospital operated by the bureau inside the NBP complex.
Sanchez hogged the headlines last year after the DOJ announced he may be able to get out of prison by availing of the good conduct allowance provided for under the controversial Good Conduct Time Allowance law.