No Decision Yet On NCR Plus Quarantine Classification As Experts Back ECQ Extension

Malacañang on Saturday, April 10, deferred the announcement on the quarantine classification to be enforced in the National Capital Region, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan or NCR Plus next week.

As active coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases reach a new record-high, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said President Duterte is still studying the repercussions of extending the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in NCR Plus.

“The Chief Executive would like to review and check pertinent information such as the health care utilization rate (in NCR Plus),” said Roque, who was supposed to announce the decision following the meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Saturday even as he was hospitalized for being infected with COVID-19 anew.

 He later said that there will be no press briefing pending Duterte’s approval, adding that they “shall provide the necessary notice once everything has been made final.”

NCR Plus was placed under ECQ from March 29 to April 4 initially due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. This was extended for one week or until April 11 as infections were not significantly curbed. While there are calls from doctors and experts to extend the ECQ for another week, there are also those saying that the economy must already be reopened to prevent people from losing their jobs and livelihoods, and getting hungry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases hit a new record of 190,245 on Saturday, with the Department of Health (DOH) saying this represented 22.3 percent of the overall cases reported in the country.

Active cases pertain to COVID-19 patients who have not yet been cured of the illness.

The Philippines also logged another single-day highest new COVID-19 cases at 12,674, raising the total number to 853,209. The DOH confirmed 225 new deaths, and bringing the death toll to 14,744.

On the other hand, 593 patients have recovered from the viral illness, raising the total number of recoveries to 648,220. Some 98.9 percent of the cases are mild and asymptomatic.

ECQ extension recommended

For its part, the OCTA Research group said extending the ECQ for another week will further slow down the surge of new COVID-19 cases.

In its latest monitoring report, the group confirmed that the two-week ECQ implemented in NCR Plus has lowered the reproduction number of new cases, which indicates the number of persons that a positive individual can infect.

From 1.88 the week before the ECQ was imposed, the reproduction number in Metro Manila is now at 1.23.

And, for the first time in three weeks, Metro Manila has finally experienced a negative growth in new daily cases, recording an average of 4,787 new cases per day from April 3 to 9, down nine percent from the preceding week.

“Be that as it may, the reproduction number for the NCR remains above one, meaning that significant viral transmissions continue,” the report read.

“Moreover, the average daily number of new cases of COVID-19 in the NCR+ is still very high at 5,000 a day. A continuing concern is that hospital capacity in the region and in the bubble remains at critical capacity, with some hospitals already maxed out,” it added.

Extending the ECQ for another week will be able to further slow down the surge, decongest the hospitals and relieve the pressure on healthcare workers,  OCTA said.

“Opening up the NCR Plus prematurely would be a significant risk as it could accelerate the surge again,” it said. “However, if ECQ extension cannot be considered for socioeconomic reasons, we are suggesting a minimum of two weeks of MECQ (modified MECQ).”

New cases decreasing

Citing data from the DOH, OCTA said most cities in Metro Manila have already showed decreasing number of new infections over the past week.

“This is very encouraging, although it is too early to say if these local government units are now starting on a downward trend, especially given that testing was 20 percent lower during the Holy Week,” the report stated.

“Unfortunately, new COVID-19 cases in the NCR will remain high, between 4,000 and 6,000 per day, while the reproduction number remains at 1 or higher,” it added.

OCTA said the government should continue its efforts to expand testing, tracing and isolation to accelerate the exit of NCR Plus from ECQ.

“Government should also work together with the local government units and the private sector to accelerate the vaccination of our citizens in the NCR bubble. We need more vaccination sites and more personnel and volunteers in the vaccination centers to speed up the process,” the report read.

“In particular, we need to expand the number if vaccination sites in the NCR to accommodate more individuals and reduce the possibility of super spreaders events due to crowding in vaccination centers. We suggest considering large and open public and private structures, such as university gyms and even malls, apart from public schools as alternative vaccination sites,” it added.

Accotding to OCTA, there is also a need to recruit more doctors and nurses to augment the existing teams doing vaccination in NCR Plus.

Unlike Metro Manila that recorded a decrease in new cases, some regions have reported a spike in cases in the past week, including in Calabarzon with an average of 1,861 new cases per day (up five percent from the previous week), Central Luzon with 978 (up one percent), Cagayan Valley with 606 (up 31 percent), Cordillera Administrative Region with 429 (up 79 percent) and Ilocos Region with 272 (up 67 percent).

“NCR, Calabarzon and Central Luzon account for nearly 80 percent of the new COVID-19 cases, with another 10 percent from CAR and Region II. High hospital utilization rates were observed in the top five regions,” the report said.

Roque hospitalized

Meanwhile, Roque confirmed reports that he has been admitted to a hospital for treatment of COVID-19, a little over two weeks after he first recovered from the viral illness.

“I am now admitted in a hospital for COVID treatment,” he said, appealing to the public not to be lax in taking care of oneself when it comes to fighting the virus. “This is to say that COVID-19 is more transmissible now so we have to do extra precaution.”

Roque, who first tested positive on March 15, has recovered from the disease on March 25. He has not been vaccinated since protocols dictate that infected patients must wait for 90 days before getting the jab.

“I am asking for your sincerest prayers to all afflicted with COVID-19 in the country and around the world. God bless and protect us all,” he said.

The Palace official, who has comorbidities such as diabetes and a heart condition, did not provide details on his latest health predicament.

Reports said he was admitted to the Philippine General Hospital. Critics questioned this, noting that hospital beds must be given to those with severe infection.