THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday shrugged off the uptick in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, saying such increases are already expected since the pandemic remains present.
In a press conference, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is no need to be concerned over the ascending number of cases recorded since the beginning of March.
“The increase and decrease in cases are expected. The virus is still in the country and remains to be with us. We shouldn’t be afraid and alarmed, and instead be constantly aware and vigilant,” Vergeire said.
She said that as long as the number of severe and critical cases, deaths, and healthcare utilization rates remain low, there is no need to be concerned.
“Based on our monitoring, while cases are going up, our hospital admissions are all manageable, while severe and critical and deaths are kept at a minimum,” she said.
Instead of being alarmed, the health official said it would be better if the public will remain vigilant against the virus.
“We should know how to protect our families and ourselves, and that would be by having vaccination against COVID-19 and we must know when to wear masks,” said Vergeire.
Based on the latest COVID-19 trend, the DOH said Mindanao and the National Capital Region are showing continued incremental increase in cases, while the remaining parts of the country exhibit plateauing trends.
The DOH also said that severe and critical cases are now plateauing nationwide, while COVID-19 admissions have been stabilizing since early February.
The latest weekly DOH case bulletin showed that for the period of March 13 to 19, the country has an average of 167 cases daily.
This is 19 percent higher than the 140 cases reported from March 6 to 12.
