Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) could increase to 2,000 per day by the end of July if the public continues to disregard public health standards and if booster uptake remains low, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the numbers were according to the projection of the Australian Tuberculosis Modelling Network (AuTuMN).
“Pero by the end of July, pwedeng umabot ng 1,500 to 2,000 cases daily and after that magpa-plateau siya to below 1,000,” Duque said during an interview with CNN Philippines.
Duque noted that the projection was based on assumptions that covered the decline in people’s compliance with minimum public health standards, low uptake in Covid-19 booster shots, and the emergence of more contagious Omicron sub-variants with immune escape characteristics.
He asked the public to get their vaccines and receive boosters if eligible.
Meanwhile, Duque said he is confident that the country will be able to manage the possibility of a renewed surge in cases.
“We’re more agile now. We are more ready. We can manage this,” he said. “The virus will stay, it will remain. So we just have to manage this so the cases and the transmission are low, not enough to overwhelm and overstretch our healthcare system capacity.”
— Ronald Espartinez