DOH: NCR’s daily COVID-19 cases could reach up to 43k by end-September

The Department of Health (DOH) has projected that daily COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila could reach up to 43,000 by September 30 unless the national and local governments beef up virus containment measures.

“Based on a set of assumptions, daily cases in the National Capital Region for September 30 may range from 16,000 to 43,000. The assumptions used included mobility, public health and healthcare capacities and system, and the public’s adherence to the minimum public health standards (MPHS),” the DOH said in a statement on Thursday.

The department said the projection is “not cast in stone,” adding the figures are used to guide the government to be better prepared in its pandemic response, especially with the presence of the highly contagious Delta variant.

“With these high daily case projections, the Department calls on the national government and LGUs to lower the interval between case detection to isolation, strictly monitor the public’s adherence to the MPHS, and further ramp up vaccination coverage to lower our daily cases in NCR,” it said.

“The DOH also reminded the public to use face masks correctly and consistently, practice physical distancing, and get vaccinated when they become eligible.”

Independent expert group OCTA Research earlier said they expect new cases in the NCR to continue to increase, “albeit at a slower growth rate.”

They said the reproduction number, which refers to the number of people that each COVID-19 case can infect, could hit below 1 by the third week of September.

Metro Manila reported 41,449 active cases as of Thursday, based on DOH data. The region has so far posted 618,724 recoveries and 9,004 deaths.

At least 45% of the target population in the NCR are now fully vaccinated, the government said.—Virgil Lopez/AOL, GMA News