Roque: High number of new COVID-19 cases daily within range gov't expected

The daily number of COVID-19 cases which reached several record highs in August is still within the government's projected range, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman said on Wednesday.

“Wala naman tayong tinatago. Sang-ayon dito sa projection na ito, if we  have two weeks of ECQ, two weeks of MECQ, ganito ang mangyayari," Harry Roque Jr. said in a briefing.

[We are not hiding anything. The numbers we projected is based on two weeks of ECQ and two weeks of MECQ, we will have these [numbers we currently have.]

“The projection is anywhere from 20,000 up to 37,5000. So, it’s a range... We are still on track," he added.

Roque said the government expected the high range of new COVOD-19 cases daily due to the 60%  increased transmissibility ng Delta variant.

ECQ is enhanced community quarantine which is tantamount to a lockdown, given that only essential trips and essential services are allowed under this protocol.

MECQ is the modified enhanced community quarantine protocol which partially allows non-essential services to operate but prohibits dining in restaurants and food stalls as well as personal care services.

Metro Manila, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been under ECQ from August 6 to 20. It has since transitioned to MECQ from August 21 until September 7.

Roque said without such interventions, COVID-19 cases could breach the 100,000 mark on a daily basis.

“If we did not implement the lockdown, we would have at least mga 125,000 cases per day,” Roque said.

“We are not saying we should be complacent. We should not. The number of COVID-19 cases remain high, and the number of fully vaccinated people are not enough. So we really need to wear face mask, face shield, wash our hands and get vaccinated,” Roque added. --NB, GMA News