Even as the government has declared that the coronavirus situation is still manageable, OCTA Research has recommended the implementation of “anticipatory, preventive, and circuit-breaking lockdowns” to prevent the further spread of Delta variant.
THE government has no plans yet of imposing stricter quarantine measures nationwide despite the threat of the more contagious Covid-19 Delta variant, Malacañang said on Tuesday (July 27).
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is prioritizing the country’s “total health” to make sure that Filipinos are recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Wala pa pong recommendation for hard lockdown dahil ang importante po, total health. Binabalanse po talaga natin iyan,” Roque said.
OCTA Research has recommended the implementation of “anticipatory, preventive, and circuit-breaking lockdowns” to prevent the further spread of Delta variant.
The OCTA Research’s recommendation came after Metro Manila recorded an average of nearly 1,000 Covid-19 cases daily amid the threat of Delta variant.
The Philippines has logged a total of 119 cases of Delta Covid-19 variant.
Around 103 have already recovered, 12 are still recuperating, and four have died.
'Moderate risk'
Health officials said Metro Manila is at "moderate risk" of a possible Covid-19 surge.
Data for Metro Manila showed a 19-percent increase in its two-week growth rate and an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of six cases per 100,000 population.
ADAR refers to the number of new cases in an area over a two-week period, divided by the population there.
"Sa nakikita ho natin ngayon, we’re still managing but as I’ve said very cautious tayo na isang araw makita natin lumagpas ng threshold then we will increase or escalate the restrictions," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergerie said in a media interview.
The health official said that country's health care and intensive care utilization rate was low, which means there are enough hospital beds and facilities to handle a possible surge.
Vergerie added that the DOH has "different" parameters and thresholds for assessing the severity of the pandemic than independent research groups such as OCTA.
Ready for Delta variant
Roque, on the other hand, assured the public that the government is ready to fight the Delta coronavirus variant.
Despite the apparent spike in Delta variant cases, Roque said the IATF-EID does not see the need yet to upgrade the quarantine classification in the country.
He, nevertheless, guaranteed that the government is monitoring the Covid-19 situation in the country on a weekly basis.
He added that the quarantine status in the country will be announced every 15 days, instead of declaring it every month.
No need for supplemental funds
Amid the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, Roque said there is still no need to ask for supplemental Covid-19 funds since the government still has enough money under the 2021 national budget to boost the fight against the coronavirus.
“Meron pa po tayong 2021 budget at buwan pa lang po ng Hulyo. So, meron pa pong natitira sa budget,” he said.
In case the government needs a supplemental budget, it would not hesitate to ask Congress to increase the funds earmarked for the Covid-19 response efforts, Roque said.
“Pero kung talagang kakailanganin, eh madali lang humingi ng supplemental budget. Kung kulang ang oras, pupuwede ring humingi po ng special session. Pero sa ngayon po, tinitignan natin kung meron talagang pangangailangan,” he said.
Tags: #Covid19, #Deltavariant, #lockdown, #DepartmentOfHealth