MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) sees an “artificial rise” in confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country as it reached 636 as of Wednesday.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the increase in number of confirmed cases was due to the entry of additional testing kits and laboratories.
“The test results that are being announced may not be timely. These are old cases, and we’re just catching up (with testing). That’s why we’re saying it might be an artificial rise,” Vergeire said.
“We have more capacity and we have reduced the backlog,” she added. “In the coming days, when we’re done with the backlogs, we’ll be able to see the real increase or decrease of numbers of cases in the country.”
Apart from the addition 84 cases on Wednesday, the DOH have also registered three new deaths bringing the total casualty count to 38, while six additional recoveries, including actor Christopher de Leon, for a total of 26.
Meanwhile, Vergeire said that the estimate of the DOH and World Health Organization that the COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines could peak in three months will depend on how effective the current interventions and measures are.
“This is based on scientific assumptions, that we will reach the peak in 2 to 3 months if we do not implement stringent measures,” Vergeire said. “We are working on new estimates now that the government has employed the enhanced community quarantine for Luzon.”
“The new estimates will show when the peak the COVID-19 cases in the Philippines will happen or for how long the outbreak will last,” she added./PN
