OCTA Research notes deteriorating compliance with minimum health standards vs. COVID-19

Some people appeared to have lowered their guard against COVID-19 despite concerns of a spike in infections especially in Metro Manila, the OCTA Research said Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference, OCTA Research fellow Ranjit Rye said their nationwide survey found that there was a “deterioration in compliance” when it came to the wearing of face shields and social distancing .

“While most people practice the minimum health standards, they don’t practice it everyday. In fact, [the] majority of people wear face masks [but] the number goes down as we talk about face shields and social distancing,” Rye said.

“These three basic elements of the minimum public health safety standards have to be maintained on an everyday basis until we have vaccinations for everyone in place.”

The full survey results will be released by the group in the coming days.

The researchers earlier said Metro Manila will register up to 2,200 cases per day by the end of March assuming the reproduction number remains at 1.5. A reproduction number higher than 1 means the virus is continuously spreading.

OCTA Research has also projected that the number of cases in the Philippines will hit 665,000 by the end of the month. The country recorded 580,442 cases with 12,369 deaths as of Tuesday. — RSJ, GMA News