By Analou De Vera The decrease in the number of reported deaths due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country can be attributed to the less number of those people---considered as vulnerable---being admitted to the hospitals, a former president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID) said. A police officer (R) walks past passengers queueing up at a train station in Manila on June 1, 2020. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN) Citing the Department of Health’s (DOH) data, former PSMID president Dr. Rontgene Solante said that most of the confirmed cases in the country are within the 20 to 40 age group. Solante noted that 70 percent of those who died due to COVID-19 in the country were 60-years-old and above. The DOH previously said that elderly people aged 60 and older are vulnerable to COVID-19 along those with underlying medical conditions. “Less na yung mga matatanda na na-aadmit because of COVID kasi siguro because of social distancing and quarantine --hindi na sila nakakalabas ,” Solante said during a media forum on Wednesday. “Kung less na ang mga population na ito na ma-admit, less din talaga ang mamamatay . So more of those will survive because (they come from) the younger age group,” he added. As of this writing, the country has 18,997 confirmed cases, including 966 deaths and 4,063 recoveries. Solante said that it does not mean that the medical facilities are now becoming better in managing the cases, citing that there is still no developed treatment for COVID-19. “I have to correct that, no, dahil bumaba yung deaths natin ibig sabihin gumanda yung management natin. Kasi unang-una wala pa talagang gamot ang COVID. Ang nakikita namin dyan, in fact also in our trend of the hospitals and patients, less na yung mga na admit presenting severe infections. ,” he said. The DOH said last Tuesday that the COVID-19 mortality rate in the Philippines continues to be on a downward trend because of the improved management of cases. “Magmula sa average na 25.3 deaths kada araw noong simula ng Abril, bumaba na tayo sa 1.6 deaths kada araw sa katapusan ng Mayo ,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. The Philippines on June 1 recorded its lowest number of mortalities in a single day since early March---at three deaths. On Tuesday, May 2, the DOH only reported six deaths. Vergeire said that this decline shows that “different hospitals and facilities are now able to manage cases more effectively thereby preventing more patients from progressing to severe disease and expiring.” Although there is a decline in the number of deaths, Solante said that the government should still improve the country’s health care capacity. “It’s really preparing the health facility --that anytime there will be a second wave or a third wave ---ready tayo para less ang mamamatay because we cannot just take off our guard,” he said. “(At) the rate that we are getting cases, COVID will not disappear in the next months, it will take years pa siguro ito ,” he added.