Palace allays fears over Covid surge

MALACAÑANG urged the public not to panic over the spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the country.

In a press conference on Monday, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the capacity of the country’s health care system had improved since the pandemic began in March 2020.

“Dapat bang mag-panic? Hindi po. Bakit? Dahil nga nung tayo po ay nagsarado para i-improve ang ating kakayahan para gamutin ang seryosong magkakasakit na-improve po natin yung health care capacity natin (Should we panic? No. Why? Because when we [imposed lockdowns] to improve our capacity to accommodate those with severe Covid-19, we were able to improve our health care capacity),” he added.

The Department of Health recorded over 3,000 daily Covid-19 cases for three straight days since Friday.

The OCTA Research projected that the figure will double to 6,000 cases per day by the end of the month.

Roque said the overall hospital bed capacity was enough to handle severe Covid-19 cases.

He noted that 60 percent of intensive care units and 65 percent of isolation beds were available.

Seventy-five percent of ward beds and 77 percent of mechanical ventilators were also available, he said.

Despite the increase in Covid cases, Roque ruled out the possibility of reimposing strict lockdowns such as enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ this March.

“Sabihin na nating dumami ang kaso pero nakikita naman natin, handa tayong gamutin iyong mga seryosong magkakasakit (While we saw an increase, we can still accommodate those with serious cases),” he said.

The spokesman added that the country could no longer afford strict lockdowns because of their debilitating impact on the economy.

“Sa totoo lang po, hindi na po natin kaya na mag-lockdown ng ating ekonomiya. Napakadami na pong nagugutom (The truth is lockdowns take a heavy toll on the economy. So many people are getting hungry),” he said.

Majority of the areas in the country are in modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), the most lenient of the four lockdown classifications. Metro Manila remains in GCQ.

Amid the rising Covid cases, Roque called on local government units (LGUs) to impose localized lockdowns and intensify enforcement of health protocols and Covid-19 detection.

He said the government has been managing the pandemic well because despite the lack of funds, the country was not among the top countries in terms of the number of Covid-19 infections.

Not safe

Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd said it was not yet safe to place the entire country in MGCQ after Covid-19 cases surged in the past week.

Sotto and fellow Senators Panfilo Lacson, Aquilino Pimentel 3rd and Mary Grace Poe in separate text messages voiced concern over the sharp rise in Covid-19 infections.

On Monday Sotto pressed for stricter implementation of health protocols, saying, “We have become too complacent.”

Poe said the Covid surge “must be addressed with quicker action to deliver the vaccines to health workers and other priority groups as we anticipate the arrival of more vaccines in the coming days.”

Lacson stressed that contact tracing is key in addressing the problem.

“It is alarming and it should concern our health authorities,” he said.

“The government must determine the specific areas where the surges occur or are evident so that extra control measures and closer supervision can be instituted immediately.”

“This is where the role of the LGUs becomes indispensable, since they are the closest to the potential spreaders, not to mention familiarity with the people in their localities,” Lacson added.

Pimentel, meanwhile, urged the people to boost their immune system, stay at home and go out only if necessary.

“What this pandemic has taught us is to focus on the essential - strengthening the immune system,” he said.

Poe said the government must “vaccinate faster than the virus can spread. This is taking into account that the supply of the government-procured and donated doses will reach the Philippines on time.”