FILE PHOTO: Filipinos queue for cash subsidy from the government amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Batasan Hills, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, August 27, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez
MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila is still a few months away from a manageable number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases even as the curve of new infections has flattened, an expert from the OCTA Research Group of the University of the Philippines said Monday.
“We are still a long way to go. We are still a few months away from reducing the number of cases to a very manageable level in Metro Manila, so let’s continue doing what we are doing now so we can maybe have a nice Christmas,” UP mathematics professor Guido David said in an ABS-CBN News Channel interview.
David earlier said that the curve of COVID-19 infections in the country has already flattened but reminded the public not to be complacent and continue following health protocols despite the positive development.
He stressed that the coronavirus is “still a clear and present danger” even as new cases being reported daily by the Department of Health has slowed down.
“Our goal is to reduce the number of transmission so we can now further relax the quarantine further and open up the economy, but until then the fight is not over. We still have to work together. At least we are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” said David.
“We know that if we keep doing this, then maybe we can open up before December and have a more normal Christmas than we might expect so this is not a time to relax. It’s a time to keep on doing what we have to do to prevent transmissions,” he added.
He also noted that the government is “on the right track” and the public is doing its part in containing the spread of the disease.
“But we would like to remind people not to get overly enthusiastic about the news, so it does not mean that we can be complacent, that we can go out and we can have mass gatherings. We still have to be careful because the virus is still out there and still killing people,” he added.
David also pointed out that even though the number of COVID-19 infections has slowed down in Metro Manila, there are still other “emerging hotspots” in other parts of the country such as Bacolod, Iloilo, and Tacloban.
He urged the government to attend to the concerns of the said areas to ensure that the spread of the virus is contained.
The Philippines has so far recorded a total of 237,365 COVID-19 cases, with 2,839 new infections reported on Sunday.
Of the total count, 48,803 are active cases, 184,687 are recoveries, and 3,875 are deaths.