WHO: 300K active COVID-19 cases in PH by May possible if health standards neglected

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines may have as much as 300,000 active COVID-19 cases by the middle of next month if the public lowers its guard against the severe respiratory illness, an official from the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday.

“I have seen those numbers, we have to prove those numbers wrong. That’s the challenge we face. If we relax our guards, if we relax our defenses, yes it’s possible to get to those numbers,” WHO Acting Representative to Asia Dr. Rajendra Yadav said in a Laging Handa briefing when asked about the projected 300,000-increase in COVID-19 active cases next month.

It was the Department of Health (DOH) that earlier warned of a possible surge in COVID-19 cases due to the declining compliance of Filipinos to minimum public health standards (MPHS).

A 50-percent decrease in this compliance may lead to nearly “half a million” active infections in National Capital Region (NCR) by mid-May while a 30-percent decline in MPHS compliance “might bring the cases up further to as high as 300,000 over the same time period,” the DOH earlier said.

Yadav, however, said that the government should not rely on the number of infections alone but should instead focus on increasing the vaccination rate.

“Whether the numbers will increase or not, only time will tell. We should not focus too much on the number of cases, rather on the number of people who are vaccinated. That’s more important,” he said.

He said the vaccination rate should go beyond 70% to create “adequate herd immunity.”

The government, particularly local government units, should think of ways to reach out to more unvaccinated individuals, Yadav said, suggesting a house-to-house vaccination drive to make COVID-19 vaccines more accessible.

When it comes to COVID-19 testing, Yadav said that while it is less of a priority now compared to vaccinations, the government can prioritize testing among high risk groups such as medical frontliners, and vulnerable sectors such as the elderly and the immunocompromised.

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