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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DOH urges public not to be complacent as COVID-19 cases remain high

DOH urges public not to be complacent as COVID-19 cases remain high

Published Apr 27, 2021 01:25 pm

The public were urged not to let their guard down despite the signs of a decrease in the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the recent weeks following the reimposition of strict quarantine measures.

(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the statement Tuesday, April 27, a day after the country has surpassed the one-million mark in the total number of COVID-19 cases over a year since the pandemic started.

“Nakikita natin na nagiging effective yung ginagawa natin pero kulang pa po para tayo ay talagang makapagpababa ng mga kaso (We see that what we are doing is becoming effective but it is still not enough for us to really reduce the number of cases),” Vergeire said in an interview over GMA News.

“So tuloy-tuloy pa rin dapat ang ginagawa natin (So we should continue be doing what we do). Nobody can be complacent at this point,” she added.

Vergeire stressed that the public should continue strictly observing the minimum public health standards as the average daily attack rate of the virus in some areas, including Metro Manila, is still high.

The health official recently said that the DOH has observed a slight decline in the average daily number of cases, adding that the transmission rate of the virus has been decreasing in the recent weeks.

This decline was also observed by experts studying the pandemic in the country, saying in their latest report that the reproduction rate of COVID-19 in Metro Manila dropped to around 0.9 as of the previous week.

The Philippines breached the one-million mark in the total number of COVID-19 cases on April 26, after the Department of Health (DOH) reported an additional 8,929 new infections.

With this, Vergeire assured that the DOH is “doubling its efforts” in addressing the ongoing pandemic in the country.

These include the intensification of localized response, expansion of the country's healthcare system, ramping up of testing capacity, and improving the isolation facilities.

“We're doubling our efforts,” she said. “Whatever we have been doing in the past, we are intensifying.”

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covid-19 Department of Health (DOH)
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