With government officials planning to downgrade the entire country’s quarantine status to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), health experts say COVID-19 infections in Metro Manila “up by half.”
Spike of COVID-19 cases in NCR casts doubt on move to lower quarantine classification for PH
With government officials planning to downgrade the entire country’s quarantine status to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), health experts are bracing for an upsurge in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.
In fact, according to the OCTA research team, there are now signs that a new wave of cases may soon grip Metro Manila.
In Pasay City alone, the independent research group said, COVID-19 cases tripled in just three days.
From just 28 cases from February. 11 to 17, the number of new confirmed infections in Pasay rose to 86 from February 18 to 20.
Meanwhile, the average number of new COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region over the past three days increased 45 percent compared to the daily average from the previous 7 days.
“The LGU with the next biggest increase was Malabon, with a 166 percent increase from 12 to 32 new cases per day, and a daily attack rate of 8.55 per 100,000, which would also classify Malabon as high risk,” OCTA Research said.
OCTA noted the positivity rate in Marikina and Paranaque remained high. Las Piñas had a 116 percent increase in new cases from 9 to 20, while nine other LGUs had an increase in daily new cases of at least 20 percent over the same period.
Pateros, Navotas and Muntinlupa meanwhile registered a decrease in new cases.
Meanwhile, OCTA commended the local government of Pasay for immediately placing 33 barangays and some establishments under a two-week lockdown.
“The local government of Pasay should be commended for its swift response to the outbreak by implementing localized lockdowns in several barangays, and this will hopefully mitigate the spread of the virus in the area," OCTA said.
The data comes as the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Communicable Diseases plans to downgrade the Philippines’ quarantine status to MGCQ by March 1. (ONT)