Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) — The average number of coronavirus cases recorded daily in Metro Manila needs to go down to below 2,800 to decongest hospitals in the region, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said Wednesday.
“Hospitals are still full. And based doon sa mga pag-aaral namin and they will remain to be full — mas maraming magpa-pa-admit as long as we are having more than 2,800 cases per day,” David told a briefing.
[Translation: Based on our study, hospitals will remain to be full, and more people will have themselves admitted as long as we are having more than 2,800 cases per day.]
“Hopefully in one to weeks, mapababa natin yung number of cases per day natin sa NCR to mga less than 2,800. By then, magsisimula nang magkaroon ng easing sa hospital capacity natin,” he added.
[Translation: Hopefully in one to weeks, we can lower the number of cases per day in NCR to less than 2,800. By then, easing of hospital occupancy will start.]
David said the NCR currently logs 3,500 new infections per day, noting this daily average is a “significant improvement” from previous weeks.
OCTA Research is recommending one to two more weeks of modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal or NCR Plus to further lower the number of new infections and COVID-19 bed occupancy rates. The MECQ in NCR Plus is supposed to end on April 30. NCR Plus eased to MECQ on April 12 after being placed under the strictest enhanced community quarantine for two weeks due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.
A longer MECQ can help “stabilize” the downward trend in infections, OCTA fellow Ranjit Rye said in the same briefing.
President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to announce the new quarantine classifications for May later in the day.
