PH ‘slowly but surely’ beating COVID-19 – Duterte

President Rodrigo Duterte. (File photo from an RTVM video)

MANILA, Philippines — “We are slowly but surely making progress in our COVID-19 campaign,” President Rodrigo Duterte said in his weekly taped public address that aired late Tuesday night.

“I am very pleased to inform the entire nation that we continue to beat COVID-19, recent statistics affirm this,” he added.

Duterte noted how the country’s positivity rate dropped from 3.4% recorded on Nov. 18 to 2.3% on Nov. 23.

He also pointed out that Metro Manila’s weekly positivity rate was at 2%  from Nov. 11 to 17 — the lowest, he said, since the region started testing for the disease.

He also cited reports of the Department of Health (DOH) on the “continuous decline” of active COVID-19 cases in the country, which is down to less than 19,000 on Nov. 23.

READ: DOH reports higher COVID cases despite fewer tests

The number of new COVID-19 cases also decreased on Tuesday as compared to those recorded on Nov. 18.

Despite the progress, Duterte urged the public not to let its guard down.

“Thanks to the mercy of God that the cases went down. But we should still follow health protocols being implemented by government if we really want to make headway,” he said, speaking in a mix of Filipino and English.

“You have to supplement God’s mercy by complying with to protocols set by the government — because God will be looking at the compliance to protocols set by the government. He might withdraw his mercy and we will be in a pitiable situation,” he added.

The DOH earlier warned that active COVID-19 cases nationwide might rise up to 27,000 by the end of the year if the government would allow an increase in the people’s mobility, compounded by their complacency in following the minimum public health standards.

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