DOH notes 5% drop in daily COVID-19 cases during holidays

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded a 5-percent drop in the nationwide daily confirmed COVID-19 cases during the holiday season, citing a number of reasons for the decrease.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday said the reporting of COVID-19 cases during the holiday season were affected due to the suspension of operations of some testing centers and the “health-seeking behavior” of the public, who preferred to not get tested during the holidays.

“Some laboratories during the holidays were closed and were non-operational. At isa pang factor ay ‘yung health-seeking behavior of our clients, na ang mga output ng laboratories, some of them, zero talaga; walang pumupuntang pasyente, walang specimens na nasa-submit,” Vergeire said in an online media forum.

(Another factor is the health-seeking behavior of our clients. Some laboratories received no patients at all.)

The DOH noted a drop in the daily output of laboratories across the country, from an average of 36,000 submissions a day, to only 22,000 submissions a day.

Vergeire also said that there was a 4-percent decrease of confirmed cases in Metro Manila during the holidays.

It would only be in mid-January that it can be determined whether there was a surge in COVID-19 cases during the holiday season as laboratories will be fully operational starting Monday, Jan. 4.

“We are expecting, if and when, this surge will really happen, lalabas po tayo mga mid-January,” the Health official said.

“Baka diyan lalabas ‘yung pagdami ng kaso at tataas talaga, basically, because itong laboratories natin would be fully functional already and fully operational starting today,” she added.

(Maybe that is when the number of cases will increase, basically, because laboratories will be fully functional and fully operational starting today.)

As of Jan. 3, the Philippines has recorded a total of 477,807 COVID-19 cases, with 448,258 recoveries and 9,257 deaths.

JPV