Holiday surge in virus cases observed, but situation manageable – Roque
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ COVID-19 numbers indicate a holiday surge in cases, but the situation remains manageable, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
“We cannot deny that there has been a holiday surge because we reached 1,900, highest in three weeks if I’m not mistaken,” Roque told a press briefing on Monday.
The Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,052 additional coronavirus infections on Monday, the first time the daily count topped 2,000 since Dec. 18.
Health service capacity
Roque said he believed the health service could handle the surge. “What’s important is that we are ready to treat serious cases because 60 percent is still available in the ICU, isolation and hospital beds,” he said.
Still, the government would not let up in reminding the public to observe health rules, such as wearing masks and face shields, washing of hands frequently, and observing physical distancing, Roque said.
People should take care not to be infected, even if a COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive in the country soon, he added.
New infections
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said earlier the DOH would not know until Jan. 15 whether there had been a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country due to the holiday celebrations.
Duque noted that many people had put off going to the hospital for testing in the days leading to Christmas and the new year.
Authorities had feared that there would be a surge in COVID-19 cases because of celebrations and gatherings during the holidays.
The additional infections reported by the DOH on Monday brought the overall number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to 489,736.
Davao City had the highest number of new cases, 140, followed by Quezon City (93), Cavite (87), Laguna (83) and Manila (67).
The DOH said 10 more patients had recovered, raising the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 458,206. But the death toll rose to 9,416 with the deaths of 11 more patients.
The deaths and recoveries left the country with 22,114 active cases, of which 84.3 percent were mild, 5.6 percent asymptomatic, 0.58 percent moderate, 3.4 percent severe, and 6.2 percent critical.
—With a report from Dona Z. Pazzibugan
