2 Philippine cities called new ‘COVID-19 hotspots’

MANILA: Two of the country’s major cities including Davao, the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte, have been called “hotspots of serious concern” due to a an alarming increase in the number of infections by the noval coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a research group.

The OCTA group warned that aside from Davao City, the resort city of Baguio in the Northern Luzon highlands, also fell in the same category amid a continuing decrease in the number new cases in the country, especially Metro Manila.

“We are concerned that if the surge is not contained, these LGUS (local government units) may experience high hospital burden in the coming weeks that may stress their health systems and overwhelm their medical frontliners,” said OCTA, composed of experts from the state-owned University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas, the country’s oldest private university run by Dominican priests.

It noted that Davao City recorded the highest number of average daily new cases during the first two weeks of November.

It cited health department data that an average of 113 daily new cases in the first week and 104 in the second week were recorded in November.

As the result, the hospital occupancy rate in Davao City stood at 84 per cent as of Nov.15, which was above the critical threshold of 70 per cent set by the health department,” OCTA pointed out.

On the other hand, Baguio City, which just opened itself up to local tourists, had an average of 44 new daily cases, OCTA said, adding that hospital occupancy rate of 81 per cent, was also above the health department threshold.

But the group also said that with the increase Davao City, headed by Mayor Sara Duterte, the president’s daughter, imposed stringent measures limiting the movement of people such as curfew.

According to OCTA, the city also required residents to present their food and medicine passes as well as their quarantine record code when they go out.