The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Metro Manila has slowed down compared to three to four weeks ago, Deputy Chief Implementer and Testing Czar Secretary Vince Dizon bared on Saturday.
During a dialogue with local government officials of Quezon City, Dizon said that weeks ago, the growth rate of cases in Metro Manila reached "triple digit" or "high double digit" at 80 percent while other local government units (LGUs) are at 150 percent every two weeks.
"Ngayon (Now) po we're very happy to report kasama ang (including) Quezon City, nasa low double digit na lang nasa 20 percent, 30 percent na lang ang ating growth rate so ibig sabihin po bumabagal na ang pagdami ng kaso sa NCR kasama na ang Quezon City (it means the increase in cases is slowing down in NCR including Quezon City)," Dizon disclosed.
He noted this a very huge accomplishment compared to the past weeks.
The testing czar reiterated the need for consistency and assured all the LGUs as well as the Greater Metro Manila area where many of the cases come from that they will be supported by the NTF and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
"Kasi mahabang labanan pa ito eh. Kaya very very important po iyan sa ating laban. Kasi hindi ibig sabihin na ngayon bumaba na yung kaso hindi ibig sabihin na next week di na tataas yan (Because this is going to be a long battle. That's why it is very important in our fight. It doesn't mean that now cases are dwindling. next week it won't go up again)," he said.
"Kasi kung hindi ka consistent kung hindi mo itutuloy tuloy maaring bababa ka ngayon pero pag medyo nag lax ka ng konti, o medyo hindi mo tinuloy tuloy yung pagtetest, pagtetrace, pagi-isolate, eh posibleng later on after a few more weeks, tataas naman ulit siya (If we will not be consistent, maybe now the cases will go down and if we become lax and testing, tracing, and isolation will discontinue; it is possible that later on, cases will spike again)," he added.
Meanwhile, Dizon also shared that there are teams now in Region VI and Bacolod.
Retired General Mel Feliciano and Department Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu were assigned by the President to Negros Occidental and Iloilo, respectively, to immediately adress the spike in COVID-19 cases there.