Rise in COVID-19 cases due to evacuation center crowding, holiday rush — Duque

The slight increase in COVID-19 cases in the country may be due to evacuation center crowding and the holiday rush, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Monday.

The number of daily new cases was below 2,000 for several days until Sunday, when the Department of Health announced there were 2,076 new cases, bringing the national tally to close to 430,000.

A series of typhoons battered Luzon in past weeks, driving thousands of Filipinos to evacuation centers in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"'Yung sa mga evacuation center natin ay posibleng naging dahilan din 'yan sa kaunting pagtaas ng kaso," Duque said at the Laging Handa briefing.

"At syempre itong pagsalubong ng kapaskuhan at nasa GCQ (general community quarantine) tayo, 'yung mga tao ay muling lumaki ang bilang ng lumalabas at nakikihalubilo, minsan nakakalimutan pagsunod sa minimum health standards," he added.

The Health chief reminded Filipinos to ensure they wear masks and face shields and observe physical distancing when outside.

He said the uptick in cases is a signal for the public to be extra careful against COVID-19.

Researchers also said the increase in new cases is largely due to community transmission worsened by the rise in mobility and decreasing compliance with minimum health standards over what they called "pandemic fatigue."

The situation is exacerbated in some areas by the effects of recent typhoons, the OCTA research team said.

The researchers said COVID-19 cases in the Philippines may hit half a million by the end of the year.

President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to announce quarantine measures for December on Monday night. — RSJ, GMA News