TWO weeks after the government lifted the mandatory masking policy, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said making the wearing of face masks optional is among the factors that have caused the recent rise in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.
In a press conference, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, who is the officer-in-charge of the DOH, said there were other components that caused the uptrend.
“It is not just one factor, particularly the optional masking policy, that has caused the increase in cases. It has several components that cause people to get infected… But it is possible that the optional masking has started to become one of the factors,” said Vergeire.
“First factor is the inherent characteristics of people like being elderly, immunocompromised, has comorbidities, young. Second factor is the virus’ characteristics like being more transmissible. Third factor is the behavior of people like increased mobility, non-wearing of face masks, opening of more sectors,” she added.
“Expectedly, cases are increasing because of increased mobility, resumption of face-to-face classes, and maybe the optional masking is also now a factor,” she also said.
Vergeire made the statement after the DOH reported last Monday that the average daily COVID-19 cases for the period of September 19 to 25 has increased by 22 percent from the previous week.
This marked the first time that COVID-19 cases went up since the week of August 8 to 14.
On Tuesday, the DOH reported that the National Capital Region and Plus areas (NCR Plus) continue to show an upward trend, while cases in the rest of the country are plateauing.
Vergeire said that while cases are increasing, it is important to note that severe and critical cases remain minimal in numbers.
“It is important that the severe and critical cases do not surge and that our hospital beds will not be overwhelmed,” said Vergeire.
If not, she said the DOH will be left with no choice but push for the return of the mandatory face mask policy.
“If we reach the point where cases will continue increasing and it’s going to be a risk to the population, it is the DOH itself that will make the recommendation,” said Vergeire.
Malacañang announced the signing of Executive Order (EO) No. 3 last September 12. The order allows the voluntary wearing of face masks in open spaces and non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation.
It, however, does not include fully vaccinated individuals, senior citizens, people with comorbidities, and immunocompromised individuals, as well as those using public transportation.
HOSPITAL OCCUPANCY
The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) said the increasing number of COVID-19 cases has not translated to a higher health care utilization rate (HCUR) among private hospitals.
“The hospitalization rates are not worsening even though the number of positive individuals is increasing,” said PHAPI president Dr. Jose Rene de Grano in a televised public briefing yesterday.
De Grano said majority of those infected only experience mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.
“Even though they turn out as positive, they treat it as ordinary colds or flu. They just opt to stay at home and undergo self-quarantine instead of seeking hospital admission,” he said.
DOH data show that the HCUR nationwide only stands at 27.8 percent. On the other hand, the ICU bed utilization rate was only at 22.9 percent.
De Grano called on the general public to not be complacent against COVID-19 and urged everyone to continue wearing face masks even though it is no longer mandatory.
“We should not be that complacent. I think all, especially medical workers, should still wear masks even when outdoors,” he said.
OMICRON CASES
Meanwhile, the DOH reported that more than 1,238 new COVID-19 Omicron subvariant cases have been detected in the country, majority of which are BA.5.
The DOH said the latest genome sequencing results showed 1,200 additional BA.5 cases, 33 additional BA.4 cases, three additional BA.2.75 cases, and two additional BA.2.12.1 cases.
The additional BA.5 cases were detected in all regions, except in Eastern Visayas.
For the additional BA.4 cases, 31 were found in Soccsksargen, while the other two are in Northern Mindanao.
Among the additional BA.2.75 cases, two were in Central Visayas, and one in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) while the additional BA.2.12.1 cases were detected in Cagayan Valley (1) and the CAR (1).
The DOH report showed that there were 162 cases that were detected to be of other Omicron sublineages, but were not identified anymore.
Vergeire said they are no longer reporting the said sublineages to avoid public confusion.
“It is going to cause more confusion to the public if we give the technical description of all these subvariants,” said Vergeire.
In addition, she said naming such sublineages are deemed unnecessary since they have similar characteristics as the other subvariants.
“What we are providing the public are the most common subvariants of Omicron we have detected,” she added.
The health official, meanwhile, warned the public that they must continue protecting themselves against COVID-19.
She said this is because the continued transmission of the virus provides more opportunities for mutation.
“Mutations are part of the life cycle of viruses. Mutation may happen if the conditions are favorable,” she explained, adding: “Continued transmission can drive the mutations of this virus.”
