Philippines has 2nd highest SEA cases after Indonesia

MANILA, Philippines, July 8 ------ Malacañang will allow local government units (LGUs) to impose localized lockdowns to enforce minimum health standards amid the daily rapid increase in the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, an official said yesterday. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque downplayed the report of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center that the Philippines is now second to Indonesia with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia.

Roque said there should be no cause for alarm despite the spike in COVID-19 infections, adding that the government has increased the capacity of the healthcare system during the first few months of the lockdown. The report said Indonesia leads Southeast Asian countries in terms of COVID-19 cases with 64,958 as of Monday, followed by the Philippines with 46,333 and Singapore with 44,983. On Sunday, the Philippines recorded 2,434 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest increase in a single day, with 1,147 classified as fresh cases and 1,287 as late cases.

Compared to other countries, Roque maintained that the country has been “winning significantly in the fight against COVID-19.” “The increase in COVID-19 cases is not surprising until we find a vaccine and cure for the disease,” he said. Roque noted that the Philippines’ positivity rate is pegged at six to seven percent for every 100,000 people tested for the virus. “And we have a large capacity to provide hospital services to the sick. So I will always say, we are winning against COVID-19,” he said.

The government has doubled the efforts in handling the health crisis to ensure that the most vulnerable people are protected from the virus, according to Roque. He said the mayors of Metro Manila, which remains under general community quarantine, have identified areas with high number of COVID-19 cases and discussed measures to curb the transmission of the virus. Roque said villages with high cases of COVID-19 would be subjected to hard lockdowns instead of community lockdowns. “The LGUs will have to be more active since they will be the ones to impose the localized lockdowns,” he said.

Source: philstar.com