Increased capacity for case validation led to spike in confirmations, says DOH’s Vergeire

The country’s increased capacity to validate cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) drove the record-high spike in infections on Thursday when 539 new cases were reported, a health official explained.

At a virtual press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the public should expect a continued upward trend in the number of cases in the following days.

“Inaasahan pa rin po natin sa na sa mga darating na araw, maaari pa rin pong tumaas ang ating mga kaso dahil patuloy na po tayong nakakapag-validate ng ating mga kaso,” Vergeire said.

“Kumpara sa nakaraang araw, ang trend ng bilang ng mga kaso ay tumataas ngunit dahil po ito sa patuloy na pagtaas ng bilang ng mga kaso nating nava-validate natin sa ngayon dahil nakapag-hire na po tayo ng additional encoders,” she added.

The number of new COVID-19 cases announced daily from May 8 to May 25 ranged between 120 and 292.

This figure topped 300 on May 26 when the DOH announced 350 new infections, followed by 380 fresh cases on May 27.

On May 28, the Philippines logged its highest number of new cases since COVID-19 broke out in the country in January. 

The spike in infections may have also been driven by the clearing of testing backlogs, with the DOH eyeing zero backlogs by Thursday night. 

Vergeire said 33 out of the 43 licensed laboratories nationwide have no backlogs remaining.

Shift to GCQ

The spike in cases was announced hours before President Rodrigo Duterte’s address to the nation, where he is expected to announce the fate of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) over Metro Manila and other high-risk areas. 

Metro Manila mayors earlier unanimously agreed that the National Capital Region can shift to a more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ) after May 31. 

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases also said they had recommended that Metro Manila and Davao City shift to GCQ from June 1 to 15. 

Malacañang likewise expressed confidence that NCR is “ready” for loosened quarantine restrictions. 

However, data from the DOH show that the bulk of COVID-19 cases are concentrated in Metro Manila.

Among the new 539 new cases reported on Thursday, 330 or 61% were from Metro Manila, 55 were from Region VII, 55 were repatriates, while the remaining 99 patients were spread out across the country.

As of May 26, 65% of the total cases nationwide were from Metro Manila.

Experts from the University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas also urged the government to extend the MECQ over Metro Manila and other areas at high risk for transmission, warning that cases could spike if restrictions are eased too early.  — RSJ, GMA News