Low vaccination, booster turnout may lead to over 19,000 daily COVID cases by August — DOH

A woman holds a small bottle labelled with a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

MANILA, Philippines — The number reported COVID-19 infections per day may reach as high as 19,306 by August 31, if vaccination and booster rates, as well as compliance to minimum public health standards, do not improve, said the Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday.

If both vaccination and booster shot numbers improve, however, the daily cases may hover between 6,000 to 8,000 cases per day.

“Based on our latest projections and our current case trends, the number of detected cases at the national level are projected to be on a continuous uptrend, with an estimated 19,306 cases reported daily by August 31,” said DOH in a message to reporters.

“However, with the improvement of vaccination and booster rates and MPHS compliance, case increase may be slower and more controlled at about 6,194 to 8,346 cases by the end of August,” it added.

Despite the increasing number of infections, the DOH assured the public that it is currently focused more on admission and hospital utilization rates in determining an area’s alert level.

It also assured that with available COVID-19 treatment and the availability of vaccines, “we now have the capability to reduce the vulnerable population and keep hospital utilization and fatalities to a minimum.”

“In line with this, the Department of Health reiterates the need to continue wearing of best-fitting face masks, isolating and informing our close contacts when sick, doubling-up protection via vaccines, and ensuring good airflow to control the spread of the virus,” the DOH said,

 “If such factors will be adhered to and implemented by ourselves immediately, a decline in cases may be observed sooner,” it added.

The DOH previously predicted that cases may reach as high as 17,000 by the end of July.

Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., during his first State of the Nation Address on Monday, assured that lockdown measures will no longer be imposed during his term, citing the need to balance the public’s health and economic welfare.

As of July 25, active COVID-19 cases nationwide was at at 27,625, including  2,778 new infections. The country’s overall caseload, so far, is at 3,755,403  with  3,667,084 recoveries and 60,694 deaths, based on the DOH’s COVID-19 tracker.

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