PH health experts monitoring COVID-19 situation in China

Local health experts are monitoring the COVID-19 situation in China, where the number of cases could reach 65 million per week in June due to the XBB variant.

According to Sandra Aguinaldo's report on "24 Oras," a Chinese senior health adviser said there had been an increase in COVID-19 cases in China since April.

China's population is estimated at 1.4 billion.

An infectious disease expert, Dr. Rontgene Solante, said the Philippines had already passed the peak of the XBB variant.

“I think naranasan na natin ang spike ng XBB which is the XBB.1.16. So I think we have gone from 24% positivity tapos nag-plateau na tayo at nalampasan na natin ang XBB,” Solante said.

(I think we have experienced the spike of the XBB which is the XBB.1.16. So I think we have gone from 24% positivity and then it plateaued and we are past XBB.)

GMA Integrated News Research's analysis of the Department of Health's data showed that the number of new COVID-19 cases decreased after 12 consecutive weeks of increase.

From May 22 to 28, 11,667 new cases were recorded, 6% less than the 12,426 new cases from May 15 to 21.

However, the 105 new severe and critical cases are higher than the 87 recorded last week. It is the first time in 38 weeks that new severe and critical cases have exceeded 100.

“In Luzon there are areas na pataas pa lang sya. Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Pangasinan, and Tarlac, we saw increases in positivity rate so its not the same in the whole country,” OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said.

David said, "Another wave is possible but it may not be as bad as what we see in China because we have I believe a stronger immunity as a nation because of our heterologous vaccine portfolio. Iba-iba 'yung brands and boosters," David said.

(We had different brands of vaccines and boosters.)

Solante urged the public to continue implementing and following the health protocols, such as wearing masks in crowded areas.

He noted that having COVID-19 bivalent vaccines will also help prevent the virus.

"The bivalent has more advantage now than mono because of the ability of XBB to avoid our immune system," Solante said. —Sherylin Untalan/NB, GMA Integrated News