NCR to record 2,400 new COVID-19 cases per day by March 26 -OCTA

Metro Manila is projected to record 2,400 new COVID-19 cases per day by March 26 given the increased mobility as restrictions are eased, according to the OCTA Research Group.

In a special article released Sunday, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said that Metro Manila could see a repeat of a surge in infections as seen in December should restrictions be eased further.

"Under the current trends, NCR is projected to have around 2,400 new cases per day by March 26, which also matches the projections made on February 17," he said.

According to the February 17 projections of the OCTA Group, Metro Manila will constantly be under threat of a surge due to the increased mobility of people should restrictions be eased to "very loose levels."

The Philippines on Sunday reported 3,276 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 to bring the total to 594,412. This includes 545,853 recoveries and 12,516 deaths.

"I am surprised that the projections actually match up with the actuals we have seen so far," David said in a mobile message to Joseph Morong.

Metro Manila is currently under the general community quarantine (GCQ), after President Rodrigo Duterte last month rejected the proposal of mayors in the area to shift to a modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

The OCTA Group separately said the Philippines is projected to have 5,000 to 6,000 new cases per day by the end of March given the new and more contagious and lethal variants.

Researchers from the group have since called for more contact tracing and isolation especially in high-risk areas, along with more effective localized lockdowns and stricter border controls.

"The priority now is to contain or mitigate the spread of these more contagious and lethal variants apart from preventing the surge in the region from becoming full-blown," they said.

The group also pushed for the vaccination program to be expedited and make COVID-19 vaccines available across the country as soon as possible.

At present, the Philippines has a supply of 1.1 million doses of vaccines which have been allocated to healthcare workers. This includes 525,6000 from the COVAX Facility and 600,000 doses donated by the Chinese government.

As of March 7, the government has deployed 54,500 AstraZeneca vaccines and 317,250 doses of the Sinovac vaccine. — DVM, GMA news