NCR care capacity utilization not at MGCQ level yet -- Dizon

In terms of care capacity utilization, the National Capital Region (NCR) is not at a level enough to be placed under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).

"The numbers have been improving, but I think our capacity utilization or our available capacity is still not at the level," Deputy Chief Implementer and Testing Czar Secretary Vince Dizon said during an interview with CNN Philippines.

Dizon said that despite a substantial decrease in the utilization of hospital beds and critical care beds going down at the 50 percent mark compared to the past couple of weeks where it was at 80 percent, the NCR is still not at MGCQ level yet.

He said, however, that they have taken into consideration the recommendations of the experts as well as the Metro Manila Mayors to retain the GCQ status in the NCR, but it remains to be a decision that the President will make.

The testing czar said that home quarantine remains a factor in the spread of COVID-19.

"So, we feel in the NTF that home quarantine is a major factor in this, because even if the positive patient is asymptomatic, but there are members of the household who are vulnerable, who are elderly, who have diabetes, who have heart disease, then they can be infected by the asymptomatic patient," Dizon said.

"And that is why we're very strongly advocating a very, very stringent rule that will allow us to take the positive patients outside of the homes and put them in facilities such as quarantine hotels and also our quarantine facilities," he added.

Dizon said that they will address this, seeing it as a major challenge and that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will come up with the detailed guidelines on this.

He said they are optimistic since they have been able to arrest the spikes seen in the latter part of July and most of August.

He recalled that new cases peaked at more than 7,000 in a day sometime in August, or early August, and now it's down to the 2,000 level. In the NCR and the greater Metro Manila area, cases peaked at 4,000 a day.

"Now, we're about at the 1,000 level. In fact, I think the past couple of days, it registered below 1,000. So this is all positive news, but like I said, like what we always say, there is no room to be complacent. And we just have to keep on fighting this battle, every day," Dizon said.