Metro Manila could possibly record as high as 2,000 new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) daily infections by next week.
“What we’re seeing right now is that we are seeingpossibly 2,000 cases per day in the NCR by next week or so and this would be worrisome,” Professor Guido David of OCTA Research Group said during an interview on ANC.
The nation’s capital region currently logs an average of 1,100 new cases per day. OCTA reported that the reproduction rate in Metro Manila has increased to 1.35, showing sustained Covid-19 transmission.
“If we get to [the] 2,000, it would be close to our surge capacities, meaning our contact tracing would start to break down or become less efficient and our testing would be strained,” David warned.
David noted that in August 2020, when Metro Manila was under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), the region reported only 1,800 new cases daily.
“Our MECQ lasted only two weeks, and then after that, we were fine. So it worked,” he said.
“Last March, we had a lockdown but we were at almost 5,000 cases when we had the lockdown so we waited too late to pull the trigger and that lockdown lasted seven weeks,” David added. Ronald Espartinez