PH may need to extend ECQ for at least two more weeks — DOH

MANILA, Philippines — Extending the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in place in Metro Manila and four neighboring provinces for at least two more weeks will help control the surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

During the online meeting of the House committee on health, DOH Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire pointed out that cases from Metro Manila and Region IV-A are continuously rising, with the increase faster than rates recorded in August 2020.

“We may see a continuous decline of cases by further extending ECQ for more than two weeks or two more weeks as well as marked improvements in our minimum public health standard adherence and shortening the delays in the detection, testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine,” Vergeire said.

Vergeire made the remark on the second day of the ECQ which was once again implemented in Metro Manila and the provinces of Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal, and Laguna following the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

The ECQ is scheduled to end on April 4.

“Nationally, we saw a two-fold increase in the recent two weeks for the cases. Region 2 also saw a four-fold increase in their number of cases while in their average daily attack rate remains at moderate risk at almost seven cases per day,”

“In NCR, we saw cases rise more than four times… Most regions follow this trend and are also showing increase in the number of cases,” she added.

The country’s new COVID-19 cases for Monday breached the 10,000-mark for the first time ever, bringing the number of active infections to 115,495.

The COVID-19 bulletin from the Department of Health (DOH) showed there were 10,016 new infections on Monday, setting a new high for single-day increases since the pandemic arrived in the Philippines.

JE