The Department of Health (DOH) has recommended the extension of the enhanced community quarantine in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces for another week.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they believe that one week is too short.
"It's really short. We might even see more numbers. What we are seeing now are numbers two weeks prior to this week. We are still going to see an accumulation of these numbers for the next two weeks," she told ANC, Tuesday, March 30.
"One week is really short. We have recommended an extension. Of course we need to balance this with the economy, that's why we need enough basis for us to have this extension," added Vergeire.
Ideally, she said, ECQ should be at least two weeks so "we can see the decline in the number of cases after the two weeks and the effect on our healthcare utilization rate."
Vergeire said even with the two weeks, the country won't be able to see a sudden decline in cases or even availability of beds.
"During the July and August surge, we have analyzed the figures and saw that cases still peaked and have declined 10 days after lockdown while HCUR peaked after two weeks of the lockdown. Meaning, it will take a longer time to see the effects," she said.
"For the time being, as what we agreed at the Inter Agency Task Force, we will assess at the end of the week so we will know if we will extend or just have stricter restrictions but ECQ is lifted," added Vergeire.
The Private Hospital Association of the Philippines Incorporated (PHAPi) also believes that the one week ECQ is not enough to see its effect.
"We approve of the ECQ. Hopefully, we can really reduce the transmission and for hospitals to go back to their previous situations, where healthcare workers are not overwhelmed," PHAPi president Dr. Jose de Grano said during the Laging Handa press briefing on Tuesday.
"We, however, believe that we can't see much difference in one week. We may need another week or two so we can see the real effect of the lockdown," he added.
De Grano revealed that majority of hospitals, especially in the NCR plus area, are really at high risk or critical level of occupancy.
The government placed NCR, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal under ECQ from March 29 to April 1.
On Monday, the DOH reported 10,016 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a record high.