DOH: COVID cases in the Philippines remains unchanged

The Department of Health (DOH) has warned the public against being complacent while the Philippines continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic. 

DOH Spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the average number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths are the same as before.

“We are trying to look at our data after ma declared modified ECQ and GCQ, nag-aaverage pa rin tayo katulad ng dati. Walang spike ng cases or ‘di kaya ang pagkamatay ay tumaas (the averages remain the same as before; there are no spikes in cases or deaths),” Vergerie said during the Laging Handa virtual forum.

“Let’s not be complacent. May shift na MECQ or GCQ, pero hindi pa tapos ang laban sa COVID-19. Nandiyan pa rin ang virus, nandiyan pa rin ang banta ng kalusugan so yung responsibility ng bawat tao, bawat Filipino ay kailangan pong ibigay (Whether MECQ or GCQ, the fight against COVID-19 isn’t over. The virus is still there, the threat to our health is still there, so we ask each Filipino to act responsibly),” she added.

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has placed some areas under GCQ while Metro Manila and other regions shifted from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to MECQ, allowing operations of some business establishments.

Vergerie said the DOH does not require business establishments to conduct mass testing, but recommended the screening of employees manifesting symptoms during the time of screening and 14 days before the screening.

She also said the IATF is working double time to reach the 30,000 tests per day goal by the end of May.

She added that they are now expanding testing capacity and speeding up the licensing of 17 other laboratories at stages three and four of the accreditation process.