WHILE coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the National Capital Region have been on a downward trend, infection in the country’s 10 other regions have been going up the past two weeks, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said yesterday.
Quoting a report of the Department of Health submitted to President Duterte on Monday night, Roque said the daily attack rate in Metro Manila has dropped to 19.02 percent during the April 25 to May 8 period, from 30.98 percent from April 11 to 24.
The region’s two-week growth rate, on the other hand, likewise declined to minus 39 percent during the same period, from minus 15 percent during the April 11 to 24 period.
The country’s overall attack rate is also down to 6.85 percent from 8.83 percent, while the two-week growth rate is now at minus 22 percent from minus 3 percent.
Roque noted data from the DOH indicating that cases were increasing in the regions outside of Metro Manila.
“There are 10 regions which have positive two-week growth rates. This means that COVID-19 is spreading fast in these regions,” Roque said in Filipino.
He said the growth rate is high in Mimaropa (Region IV-B), Bicol (Region V), Western Visayas (Region VI), Eastern Visayas (Region VIII), Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX), Northern Mindanao (Region X), Davao (Region XI), Soccskargen (Region XII), Bangsamoro Autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and CARAGA.
Roque also said four regions recorded high average daily attack rates, and these are the Cordillera Administrative region (CAR), Cagayan Valley (Region II), Calabarazon (Region IV-A) and Central Luzon (Region III).
He said the NCR also has a high attack rate despite having reduced average daily attack rate.
Roque said the attack rate, positivity rate and healthcare utilization rate are among the factors that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) will use in deciding the next quarantine classification of the regions. The task force will meet this week and submit its recommendation to President Duterte whether to end or extend the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) currently in place in Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal (NCR Plus). The announcement will be made on Friday.
Zamboanga is also under MECQ until May 14, while the provinces of Cagayan, Apayao and Benguet are under MECQ until May 23, and Santiago City, and the provinces of Quirino and Abra will be under MECQ until May 31.
‘CALIBRATED’
The independent OCTA Research Team yesterday said the community quarantine classification of the NCR Plus can already be eased, but appealed that this be done gradually in a calibrated manner.
In a television interview, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said they believe that “the conditions right now (in the bubble) are suitable or acceptable for a possible easing of restrictions.”
He said this is due to the continued improvement of the COVID-19 trend in the region, which he said is highlighted by the drop in the reproduction rate to 0.65 for the period of May 4 to 10, as compared to 1.54 for the period of March 29 to April 4.
“The virus is still here in NCR, but what we’re saying is the trend has improved significantly,” said David.
Asked whether they are calling for an easing of restrictions in the NCR Plus area, David did not give a categorical answer.
“What we’re saying is that we support the decision of the national government, whether to extend MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) or to ease restrictions to GCQ (general community quarantine),” he said.
What is important, David said, is that the easing will be done gradually and in a calibrated manner.
“What we don’t want to do is to open up everything instantly because we might see what we saw in the resort in Caloocan become common. We don’t want that to happen,” David said.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benjamin Abalos said Metro mayors will meet within the week to discuss the next quarantine for the region.
“I know that the mayors will make a decision that will not put into nothing all the hardship and difficulty that we have been through since we implemented modified enhanced community quarantine,” Abalos said.
Abalos said up for discussion by the local executives is whether or not keep the boarder restrictions in and out of the NCR Plus bubble, and should the quarantine status be relaxed, what businesses will be allowed to open or allowed to operate with more capacity.
CAGAYAN
CAGAYAN Gov. Manuel Mamba yesterday criticized Tuguegarao City mayor Jefferson Soriano for preferring home quarantine over bringing COVID-19 patients to isolation centers, which Mamba said led to increasing number infections in the city.
In a radio interview, Mamba said the province has a total of 1,893 COVID-19 active cases, of which 1,056 are in Tuguegarao City.
Of the active cases in Tuguegarao City, Mamba said 70 to 80 percent are on home quarantine. He said all the active cases in the 28 towns in the province are in isolation facilities.
Mamba said Tuguegarao City has put up isolation centers, out of funds from the provincial government, but said these are not occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Mamba said the city government wants the isolation centers be accredited first by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation first for purposes of financial support of P22,000 per patient.
Mamba said he has been scolding city officials for waiting the PhilHealth accreditation of these isolation centers. He said all patients should be brought to isolation facilities to prevent the spread of the disease.
VIOLATORS
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said nearly 25,000 violators of minimum health standards have been accosted from May 6 to May 10 throughout the country following President Duterte’s order to intensify the implementation of health protocols.
During President Duterte’s television address on Monday night, Año reported that 18,862 of the violators were caught not wearing or not properly wearing face masks.
Of the face mask violators, Año said 9,379 were merely warned, 8,027 were fined, 491 were asked to do community service, 904 were arrested and 61 were inquested or charged.
On violation of mass gathering, Año said 280 violators were caught – 244 were warned, 35 were fined and one was arrested.
Año said 5,473 persons were accosted for violation of physical distancing, of which 4,071 were warned, 1,011 were fined, 205 were told to do community service and 186 were charged.
On May 5, President Duterte ordered authorities to step up implementation of health protocols, including the arrest of those who are not properly wearing face mask.
Año said he has already with Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra for the crafting of guidelines to strengthen the implementation of protocols on mass gathering and non-wearing of face masks and shields. — With Gerard Naval, Noel Talacay and Victor Reyes
