THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday projected that another wave of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases may be experienced by the country by late January driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
In a television interview, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said: “For now, we have initial projections, which states that at about the end of January, cases will peak.”
Vergeire, however, refused to provide the projected numbers saying these have yet to be finalized.
The health official said, though, that what is certain in the numbers is that it is consistent with the assessment that the Omicron variant is eight times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
“It will be more than the numbers that we saw during the Delta (case peak),” said Vergeire.
For context, the peak seen during the Delta variant surge was 26,303 cases set on September 11, 2021.
Ahead of the projected peak in cases, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) has decided to temporarily close down its Outpatient Services (OPS).
In a public advisory, NKTI said its OPS will be closed beginning on Friday as the country deals with another surge in cases.
“We, at the NKTI, are committed to abide with all the safety and precautionary measures in order for you to have a safe place in our hospital,” said NKTI.
“Following another surge of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, we will be closing our Outpatient Services (OPS) effective January 7, 2022, until further notice,” it said.
Instead, the hospital said that all consultation during the covered period will be shifted to their telehealth services.
As for the private outpatient clinics, the hospital said the decision is left to the discretion of the physician.
“Private patients are advised to coordinate with their respective doctors regarding their scheduled appointments,” said NKTI.
RT PCR TEST
Meanwhile, the DOH in an advisory issued Tuesday urged the public experiencing COVID-19 symptoms to immediately undergo RT-PCR testing to determine if they are having common flu or the coronavirus.
The DOH said it would be erroneous for the public to base their assessment on the symptoms instead of getting confirmation from swab testing.
“The symptoms are generally similar for COVID-19 infection whether Delta or Omicron variant, or even with regular flu,” said the DOH.
“It is difficult to tell by symptoms alone what caused your infection. So, once you have symptoms, it is best to test to confirm what you have,” it added.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), the DOH said the usual COVID-19 symptoms are cough, fever, sore throat, fatigue, loss of taste and/or smell, headache, sore throat, body pain, rashes, and conjunctivitis.
And while waiting for the test results, the DOH said individuals must immediately isolate.
Similarly, it said that If one has been exposed to a suspect, probable, or confirmed COVID-19 case, they must automatically quarantine for 7 days (if vaccinated) or for 14 days (if not vaccinated).
“You may also access professional help through … telemedicine services,” said the DOH.
On the other hand, for those that have no symptoms, Vergeire said they should consider getting vaccinated not just against COVID-19 but also for influenza and pneumonia.
“We are advising everybody, because this is the flu season, we should also get jabbed with anti-pneumonia, anti-influenza so we can avoid these diseases,” said Vergeire.
The DOH issued the advisory amid circulating posts claiming that there are differences in the symptoms of COVID-19 Delta and Omicron variants, and influenza.
