THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases are seeing “insignificant” increase in numbers but stressed the public has no reason to be concerned.
In a press conference, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they don’t see any cause for worries with COVID-19 cases now averaging 268 per day.
“We are seeing a small increase in cases but this remain to be manageable and are mild and asymptomatic cases,” said Vergeire.
“This increase in cases, we can see it in several parts of the country. But, up until now, it remains to be insignificant. We don’t need to worry over this increasing cases,” she added.
Vergeire said the hike in cases can only be considered “significant” if hospitalization rates also climb.
“We can see that the hospitalization rates are still manageable. It is not breaching our thresholds, wherein we would need to increase our response,” she said.
The health official said the uptick in cases can be attributed to the continued presence of the virus, its different variants and subvariants, and the opening of the different establishments.
“Aside from variants or subvariants, we all know that different sectors have already opened so we expected this trend in cases,” said Vergeire.
Because of this, she said it remains necessary for everyone to stay protected against COVID-19.
“We can do what we need to do as long as we know how to protect ourselves, which includes getting vaccinated and wearing masks as needed,” said Vergeire.
Based on the latest COVID-19 case bulletin, for the period of March 27 to April 2, the country has an average of 246 cases daily, which is 33 percent higher than cases reported from March 20 to 26.
The COVID-19 bed and ICU utilization rates, meanwhile, are currently at 16.5 percent and 13.7 percent, respectively.
