Covid cases to rise due to holiday-related mobility: DOH

MANILA – A health official on Wednesday said cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) are expected to increase due to holiday-related mobility.

In a Viber message to reporters, Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the uptick in the number of infections was also caused by reduced compliance to the minimum public health standards.

“We are continuously monitoring the situation, though we cannot still be certain that the increase in cases is due to the Omicron variant,” she said. “We are calling on the public and the LGUs (local government units) to ensure safety protocols are implemented and every Filipino is vaccinated”.

On Wednesday, the DOH reported 889 new infections, more than 50 percent higher compared to the 421 cases reported on Tuesday, bringing the country’s overall tally to 2,839,790.

The OCTA Research Group said late Tuesday night that the positivity rate in the National Capital Region has increased by 5 percent for the first time since October.

Positivity rate is the percentage of Covid-19 tests performed which turned out positive in a certain area or region.

The group reminded the public to observe the proper health protocols as the increase may not just be a holiday uptick.

In a Palace press briefing on Wednesday, Acting Presidential Spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles enjoined the LGUs to impose granular or localized lockdowns in areas with an uptick in Covid-19 cases to prevent infections from again reaching an alarming level.

He said President Rodrigo Duterte and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) are concerned about the surge in infections, noting LGUs should step up in efforts to control the movement of people.

Nograles emphasized that it is the “responsibility” of LGUs to impose granular lockdowns, especially in areas where there is a “clustering of cases.”