DOH: No rise in COVID-19 cases despite election-related activities

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has not observed an increase in COVID-19 cases despite campaign activities of political candidates, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Tuesday.

“Base sa ating mga talaan at pagmomonitor ng kaso, nag-umpisa na po ang campaign sorties early part of this year and even last year actually pero nakita po natin na wala po tayong nagiging uptick ng mga numero ng kaso,” Vergeire said in a Palace briefing.

(Based on our tally and monitoring of cases, we have not observed an uptick in the number of cases even if campaign sorties were conducted in the early part of the year and even last year.)

According to Vergeire, COVID-19 cases are continuing to decline in all areas in the country despite people crowding in campaign sorties.

“Lahat po ay nasa minimal to low risk except for two areas in the country na ating binabantayan dahil meron silang moderate na lang po na ICU (intensive care unit) utilization. Pero bukod doon, case trends across all regions in the country, across all areas of the country are low to minimal,” she added.

(All areas are under minimal to low risk except for two areas that we are monitoring because their ICU utilization is at moderate risk. But except for that, case trends across all regions in the country are low to minimal.)

On Tuesday last week, Vergeire said that all regions in the country are at low risk for COVID-19 except the Cordillera Administrative Region and Davao Region.

The campaign period for national candidates officially started on February 8. The campaign period for local elective offices will start on March 25.

The country now has 52,179 active cases of COVID-19. On Monday, the DOH reported 951 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest single-day increase so far in 2022.

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