The University of the Phippines (UP) Pandemic Response Team on Monday, Sept 27, said the decline in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) was mainly a result of the wide vaccination programs.
"Mas bibigyan ko ng weight ang epekto ng ating mga bakuna. Sa NCR, maraming lugar ang nagkaroon na ng mataas na bakuna. Pag nabakunahan ang isang tao, di 100 percent efficacy... pero ang kagandahan nito, mas mababa ang viral load, hindi ka ganun makakahawa. Makikita natin to in the number of cases (I will give more weight to the effect of our vaccines. In the NCR, many areas already have high vaccinations. When a person is vaccinated, it's not 100 percent efficacy... but the beauty of it is, the lower the viral load, you can't be infected like that. We will see this in the number of cases)," said Dr. Jomar Rabajante of the UP Pandemic Response Team in an interview with DZMM Teleradyo.
On Sunday, Sept. 27, the country recorded 15,952 new COVID-19 cases.
While Metro Manila is showing decreases in COVID-19 cases, other parts of the country such as the Cordilleras, Bicol region, Davao region, and Mimaropa continue to experience rise in the number of infections.
Rabajante also stressed the number of virus patients in intensive care units (ICU) are still increasing.
"Nagi-increase ang ating ICU, although, medyo nagpa-plateau ngayon. Nandun ito sa projections ngayong end of September and simula ng Oktubre. Kaya siguro ito ang sinasabi ng mga ospital na overwhelmed pa rin sila kahit nagde-decrease ang mga kaso (Occupancy in ICU is increasing, although, it is somewhat plateau now. It is there in the projections that by end of September and beginning of October. So maybe this is what hospitals say that they are still overwhelmed even though cases are decreasing)," he added.
Rabajante, meanwhile, emphasized that the country must vaccinate the young population to attain the 90 percent of herd immunity.
"Kung masisimulan ang teenagers na mabakunahan, somehow, lalapit tayo dun sa 90 percent at ito ang tinitingnan natin na kung mangyayari, mas tuloy-tuloy na talaga bumaba ang mga kaso (If teenagers will start to get vaccinated, somehow, we will get close to 90 percent and this is what we are looking at that if it happens more consistently, the cases will actually go down)," he said.
Over 19 million individuals in the country have already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.