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Spike in COVID-19 cases not only due to new coronavirus variants - DOH
Spike in COVID-19 cases not only due to new coronavirus variants - DOH
The Department of Health (DOH) said that the spike in the number of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country cannot solely be attributed to the presence of the more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire emphasized the importance of complying with the health protocols.
“The variants may contribute/ aggravate case increase but it’s how well we practice MPHS (minimum public health standards) that determines if we are at risk of getting exposed and infected,” said the DOH spokesperson in a statement on Thursday, March 11.
The country has so far detected the presence of the South African and United Kingdom variants of coronavirus.
Since the United Kingdom announced a new variant in the middle of December, Vergeire said that the government has “strengthened and widen(ed) whole genome sequencing (WGS) towards the start of January 2021.”
The Health official noted that the public should “understand that there is a turnaround time between testing, sequencing, and the release of whole genome sequencing results.”
“Samples are carefully selected to provide the best yield of the sequencing efforts, thus, not all RT-PCR positive samples qualify for WGS, and it takes about a week to complete WGS,” said Vergeire.
“Selection alone to see if the RT-PCR samples are viable, arranging transportation, and other operational concerns also take time. But we are doing the best we can to facilitate this WGS where it is needed the most,” she added.
On Thursday, the DOH reported 3,749 new COVID-19 cases, the highest recorded single day tally since September last year.
Since March 5, the Philippines logged between 2,000 to 3,000 cases daily.
Health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon sounded the alarm on the current COVID-19 situation in the country.
“After one year fighting the virus, we are back to square one. We need to recognize that there’s a problem or we will never find the solutions,” Leachon posted in his Twitter account.
“It’s failure that gives you the proper perspective on success. It’s a “ huge elephant in the room “ syndrome,” he added.
In a television interview on Wednesday, March 10, DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega urged the local government units to strictly implement the minimum health standards and impose localized lockdowns if they observe clustering of cases in their jurisdiction.