On August 11, the Philippines recorded a total of 139,538 coronavirus cases after the Department of Health (DOH) listed 2,987 additional cases. This makes the Philippines the leading country in Southeast Asia with the greatest number of COVID-19 cases, surpassing Indonesia, and China.
According to the data presented by DOH, 1,290 of the additional cases were detected in the last three days while 1,697 were part of the backlog.
Out of all the regions in the country, the National Capital Region (NCR) had the most number of detected cases amounting to 1,510. Meanwhile, 398 were from Cavite, 144 from Laguna, 135 from Iloilo, and 119 from Cebu.
The department also listed 280 patients who recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 68,432. However, the number of deaths raised to 2,312 with 19 new deaths reported.
DOH furthered that considering the number of recovered patients, the active cases stand at 68,794. They added that 91.6% of these are mild cases, 7.2% are asymptomatic, 0.6% are severe, and 0.6% are critical.
The department also recorded another highest single-day number of cases last Monday, August 10, amounting to 6,958.
Because of the continuous escalation of the cases and the call of medical practitioners to impose a stricter lockdown, NCR, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan currently shifted to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) status.
Status of Filipinos abroad
A total of 204,095 returning OFWs have already arrived in the country since March. 99,516 of them have already been assisted in terms of transportation through the Hatid-Tulong Program. However, 9,000 Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) are still awaiting the result of their COVID-19 test before allowing to return to their places of origin.
As of writing, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) listed 17 new cases of infected Filipinos abroad, making the total number of overseas Filipinos hit by the virus to 9,774. The department also listed a total of 708 deaths and 5,790 recoveries.
Healthcare workers call for a “timeout”
When the DOH recorded almost 4,000 cases daily for the past week, the medical community seek a “timeout” from the government.
The Philippines College of Physicians (PCP) together with 40 medical societies calls out President Rodrigo Duterte and DOH to shift the lockdown measures in Metro Manila to the strictest status, the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
According to PCP President Jose Santiago during a virtual press briefing, the medical workers are already “exhausted” and might “collapse” if the government fails to call a timeout.
“Our health workers are burned out with seemingly endless number of patients trooping in for emergency care. We are losing the battle against COVID and need to draw up a definite plan of action,” he said.
Santiago furthered that the shift to ECQ will not only prevent the fast spread of transmission, but it will also help the authority to come up and manage new and existing preventive measures.
“We propose that the ECQ be used as a timeout to refine our pandemic control strategies addressing the following urgent conditions or problems: hospital workforce efficiency; failure of contact tracing and quarantine; transportation safety; workplace safety; public compliance with self-protection; social amelioration,” Santiago said.
Meanwhile, the DOH said that it supports the call of the medical community and acknowledges their sacrifices as frontliners in battling COVID-19.
“The DOH stands with our frontliners and acknowledges the sacrifices and challenges of our healthcare workers, whom we have been working with since the start of this pandemic. We honor all your efforts,” the DOH said in a statement.
“We welcome this opportunity to continuously work with the medical societies and our healthcare workers on a united and strategic course of action to win the battle versus this pandemic. Rest assured that DOH is leading in working together with the other agencies in supporting the HCWs and their plight during this situation,” the DOH further explained.
Although a more strict lockdown measure was implemented last August 2 to address the call of medical professionals, former COVID-19 task force special adviser Dr. Tony Leachon said that Metro Manila may need to have another round of MECQ for another two weeks in order to arrest the cases.
However, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that extending the MECQ status of Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan is “highly unlikely” since the government is already short of funds to distribute cash aids.
Relying on the vaccine?
President Duterte during his televised address asked the Filipino people to endure coronavirus restrictions until a vaccine is made available.
“I promise you, by the grace of God, I hope by December, we would be back to normal,” he said. “You just have to endure some more. It’s almost here. I told you I have been praying to God for a guiding light so that these guys can make the vaccine,” he added.
Duterte said that China has already promised the country to be given priority for vaccine supply especially that three Chinese pharmaceutical companies showed a positive response in the vaccine they are manufacturing.
In addition, Duterte also accepted Russia’s offer for a vaccine against COVID-19. This was said on a briefing Monday night, a day before President Putin disclosed to the public that their vaccine has already been approved. Duterte added that he is willing to take the first shot of the vaccine in front of the public.
“When the vaccine arrives, I will have myself injected in public. Experiment on me first, that’s fine with me,” Duterte said.
However, Leachon said in one of Rappler’s panel discussions that a vaccine is most likely to be available only by July 2021 which is contrary to Duterte’s belief that it will be available by December this year.
Based on the continuous increases of COVID-19 cases in the country, Senator Chiz Escudero last July 29, called out DOH and Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for just waiting until a vaccine is ready.
“I think DOH is just ‘riding out’ COVID-19 until a vaccine is invented. I don’t see nor feel any active or serious efforts being done by it. The DOH, as the lead agency of the IATF, should do precisely that – lead in a proactive way and not simply be content in reporting out statistics,” Escudero said.