THE Department of Health over the weekend said it is keeping an eye on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation in at least 13 areas in the country due to an increase in reported infections.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said, though, that the uptick in cases is not a cause for alarm.
“Hindi naman significant pero kailangan nating bantayan (The increases are not really significant, but we need to be vigilant),” Cabotaje said.
She said health authorities are monitoring the COVID-19 situation in Marinduque, Davao City, Butuan City and Surigao del Sur.
Reported infections are also rising in Ilocos Norte, Kalinga, Batanes, Quirino, Catanduanes,
Olongapo City, Tarlac City, Angeles City and Eastern Samar, Cabotaje said.
Cabotaje said the DOH has yet to identify a common factor for the increase in cases in the said areas, but she added it could be due to the influx of tourists and increased mass gathering activities, particularly election campaign sorties and rallies.
“So, we are looking at Ilocos Norte. Siyempre iyong mga areas ng Surigao del Sur. Baka may mga umuwi diyan (We are looking at Ilocos Norte and areas in Surigao del Sur. People might have gone home during the long break),” the health official said.
“And then there are the influx of campaign sorties. So, ito iyong mga tinitingnan (This is what we are looking at as possible causes),” she added.
Cabotaje said that despite the reported increases, the country is still experiencing an overall decline in COVID-19 cases.
She appealed anew to the public to not lower their guards and continue to adhere to health protocols, such as the wearing of masks and maintaining physical distancing when outside of their residences.
Last Friday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in some parts of the National Capital Region (Pateros, Navotas, Las Pinas, Paranaque, Taguig, Muntinlupa and Marikina) and provinces over the past one week should not alarm the public as the increase has not led to hospital admissions.
Vergeire said the DOH is also closely watching the situation in Mimaropa, Central Luzon, Davao, Caraga, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and Eastern Visayas after they posted a one-week positive growth rate in COVID cases over the past week.
OCTA Research Group Fellow, Guido David allayed public concerns regarding the increase in COVID-19 cases in some areas.
“Mababa pa ang bilang ng kaso ngayon at mababa rin ang positivity rate pero over the past few days, medyo tumaas from 1.3 to 1.4 percent. Pero hindi pa naman ito alarming (The number of cases and the positivity rate is not that high though over the past few days we have an increase from 1.3 to 1.4 percent. But this is not alarming),” David told radio DZBB.
He said the active number of cases and hospitalization rates have also decreased, another positive indicator in the fight against the coronavirus.
“Yung active cases natin ay bumaba na sa less than 15,000. Sa Metro Manila, nasa 21 percent na lamang ang hospital occupancy. Isa kasi ito sa mga indicators kung tumataas na ba ang kaso (The number of active cases has decreased to less than 15,000. In Metro Manila, the hospital use rate is only at 21 percent. This is one of the indicators if the number of cases is increasing),” he said.
David acknowledged there might be an increase in cases in the coming days, but this would not be similar to the surge early this year after the holiday season when the number of cases went up to several thousands every day.
“Posible pa ring magkaroon ng pagtaas ng kaso pero hindi kasing lala noong January. Habang tumatagal humihina ang ating immunity na maaaring maging dahilan kung sakaling magkaroon muli ng pagtaas ng kaso ng COVID-19 (There is always the possibility that there will be an increase in cases but not as worse as in January. As time passes by, our immunity may also decrease and this may cause an uptick in cases),” he said.
Should COVID-19 cases continue to rise, David said he foresees authorities once again tightening health protocols.
This is why David said getting the second booster shot against the coronavirus is doubly important, especially for immunocompromised individuals. “The benefit to be gained from the second booster is enhanced immunity,” he said.
INMATES
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) yesterday said there has been no active COVID-19 case among persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) or inmates under its care for nearly a month now.
Citing information from the BJMP Health Service, the BJMP public information office said the last active single case among the PDLs was on March 27 this year.
BJMP chief Director Allan Iral expressed hopes the trend would continue in the coming months as he asked BJMP personnel to sustain the strict implementation of health measures inside jail facilities.
Iral said all personnel in 475 BJMP district, city and municipal jails nationwide should “continue the strict implementation of health protocols to ensure the health and wellness of PDLs.”
The BJMP currently has 130,972 PDLs under its care. Since 2020, the bureau has recorded over 5,000 COVID-19 cases among PDLs with 54 deaths.
Meanwhile, it said 126,747 or 96.77 percent of the total inmate population have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Of the vaccinated, the BJMP said 112,044 have received two doses or are fully vaccinated, of which 68.28 percent or 89,433 have received booster shots. The rest only have a single dose of vaccine.
The BJMP also reported that 18,593 or 99.76 of its total 18,638 BJMP personnel are also vaccinated against the virus.
The bureau said 17,707 of the vaccinated personnel have received two doses of vaccines or are now fully vaccinated, of which 76.10 percent or 14,183 personnel already got their booster shots.
In the PNP, there are two police personnel who are still recovering from the disease — one of them was reported infected on Saturday while the other was reported infected last Wednesday.
The PNP has recorded 48,863 COVID-19 cases in its ranks with 129 deaths since 2020.
It said 223,573 or 99.67 percent of its total 224,305 personnel are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 0.13 percent, or 278 personnel, are partially vaccinated, meaning 454 or 0.20 percent are yet to be inoculated.
It said 98.24 percent or 219,648 of the fully vaccinated have received booster shots. — With Victor Reyes
