Palace admits post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases but still 'manageable'

Malacañang on Monday said there was a post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases in the country but the situation remained “manageable.”

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque gave the assessment after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 1,906 new infections on Sunday, taking the total caseload to 487,690.

“Mukhang ang figures po ay nagpapakita na tumaas talaga. So hindi po natin talagang maikakaila na talagang nagkaroon tayo ng holiday surge dahil nag-1,900 [cases] po tayo, highest in three weeks if I’m not mistaken. Kahapon pa lang po,” Roque said at a news conference.

Roque assured the public that the country's healthcare system could handle the spike in cases.

“Tingin ko naman po magiging manageable ‘yung pagtaas dahil ang importante naman po, handa tayong gamutin yung mga magkakasakit na seryoso dahil 60% pa po ang available [beds] natin sa ICU [intensive care unit], sa ating mga isolation, at sa ating mga hospital beds," he said.

The DOH last week said the post-holiday surge would be known by January 15.

Last December, President Rodrigo Duterte urged Filipinos to refrain from attending Christmas parties to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“You avoid it because it is for your own good and for the good of the community and eventually for the good of the country,” Duterte said in a televised address on December 7.

The Philippines has so far reported 9,405 deaths due to the coronavirus. —KBK, GMA News