AdvocatesTV • May 17, 2020
UPLB Math Prof: COVID-19 cases may still surge
University of the Philippines Los Baños mathematics professor Dr. Virgilio Sison said a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Philippines remains very probable.
“Definitely the virus is still present in our midst and a single infected individual, who may be asymptomatic, can still infect another individual. Thus it is very probable for the cases to surge,” Dr. Sison said.
He emphasized that, while the lockdown is helping slow down the spread of COVID-19, cases are still on the rise.
“Control measures apparently have simply staggered the infection over a longer period of time,” Sison said.
He also advised that, even with the relaxation of certain protocols, everyone should continue to observe mitigation efforts seriously to reduce the risk of infection in the workplace, in public places, in transportation and in homes. “Each one of us has an important responsibility in this regard,” he added.
Department of Health (DOH) figures say the most affected age groups are 30-39 years (21%) followed by 20-29 years (17%), which comprise a major bulk of the workforce.
The first of Sison’s graphs shows the daily new DOH-confirmed cases from March 15 to May 16, 2020 with the black line representing the daily trend.
The second and third graphs show the figures from the first graph simplified into a trend line to represent whether the average number of cases is rising or dipping. In this case, it is still rising.
