Spike in Covid cases due to validated results from previous days

The Philippines recorded the highest single-day increase at 539 on May 28. (Pexels photo)

MANILA – The spike in confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections was due to the “aggressive validation” of tests conducted in the previous days, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday.

“Most of the cases are cases from the previous days and not really from yesterday (Thursday),” Vergeire said in a Laging Handa briefing.

The Philippines recorded the highest single-day increase at 539 on May 28.

In an earlier statement, the DOH attributed the reporting lag to “delays” in the submission of results by laboratories and the manual verification process to ensure that each case is a unique individual.

The department is coordinating with laboratories across the country to fast-track the validation of data. It expects a continued rise in the numbers as it catches up with the backlog and more tests are conducted nationwide.

“Hopefully, itong ating mga numero ay magkatugma-tugma na in the coming days (Hopefully, we get to validate these numbers in the coming days),” Vergeire said.

Meanwhile, as several areas in the country transition to different levels of community quarantine, she advised the public to remain vigilant and to “embrace” the new normal.

“Like what we always say, while we have shifted from various levels of community quarantine, the entire Philippines remains under community quarantine so we need to still follow the measures to avoid the disease,” Vergeire said in Filipino.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Thursday night that Metro Manila, Davao City, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Pangasinan, and Albay would be placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) beginning June 1, while the rest of the country would be put under modified GCQ.

The DOH on Thursday reported that 15,588 persons have been infected with Covid-19, of whom, 921 are deaths while 3,598 are recoveries.