COVID cases up by 31%
Kids infected with coronavirus in QC triple in a month
Coronavirus disease (COVID19) infections continue to soar. The Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday, August 13, that COVID-19 cases in the country increased by 31 percent the past week amid the threat of the more contagious Delta variant.
“National cases saw an increase in the recent week,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
She noted that 10,459 cases per day were recorded from Aug. 6 to 12. This is an increase of 2,472 cases or “31 percent compared to the previous week (July 30 to Aug. 5) of 7,987 cases,” Vergeire said.
QC kids with COVID soar
In Quezon City, the number of children infected with COVID-19 has almost tripled in just a month after 318 minors were reported to have caught the disease from August 1 to 7.
Data from the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CESU) showed that 169 children aged 0 to 11 were infected while 149 children aged 12 to 17 got the virus, which means that nine percent of the city's total cases during the same period were children.
The city government said its latest COVID-19 case tally involving children is 293 percent higher than last month. From July 1 to 7, only 81 children turned out positive for the virus.
CESU chief Dr. Rolando Cruz said “one factor that causes these infections... could be the improper way by which COVID-19 positive adults quarantine themselves.”
Cruz said these adults are the ones who stay-at-home despite manifesting COVID-19 symptoms and “do not selfreport to CESU.”
With this development, the Quezon City government has expanded the capacity of its HOPE community caring facilities.
Dr. Esperanza Arias, head of the city's health department, said on Friday the local government already procured additional beds, oxygen tanks, and medicines dedicated to the city's 11 COVID-19 facilities in preparation for the surge of new virus cases among children.
Arias added that “family rooms” are already being added in all the facilities to accommodate more children infected with the virus along with their families or guardians, who may also be positive for COVID-19.
“We’re adding more family rooms to avoid children being separated from their families,” Arias said.
“We want to provide optimum care and take into account the psychological well-being of these children as well,” she added, as only HOPE 3 and 6 previously had family rooms.