DOH needs 2 weeks to analyze efficacy of enhanced quarantine

It would take the Department of Health two weeks to analyze whether the enhanced community quarantine was effective in controlling the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Saturday on 24 Oras Weekend.

"Hindi pa ho natin 'yan masasabi sa ngayon. It would take us about two weeks to really analyze data, makita natin talaga 'yung pag-taas o pag-baba ng ating mga kaso," explained Vergeire.

"Sa ngayon po medyo starting implementation pa lang tayo kaya hindi pa ho natin maibigay ang accurate na analysis ng situation," she added.

Neither could Vergeire say at what rate COVID-19 cases were increasing as the "system has been challenged in the past few days because of the influx of tests."

"[U]nang-una na po 'yung ating rate of testing, 'yung capacity natin kasi 'yung rate of testing results, release, isa po 'yan sa nagiging factor kung paano po pumapasok ngayon ang ating mga datos," she said.

However, the health undersecretary said that the data would begin to stabilize after the sub-national laboratories to test for COVID-19 came online. 

"Pero ngayon po as we have more kits and we have extended our capacity to other laboratiries... makikita na natin ang totoong datos na papasok sa araw-araw na haharapin natin," she added.

The Health Department announced on Saturday that there were 77 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national total to 307.  — Joahna Lei Casilao/DVM, GMA News