No longer high risk
THIS MOUNTAIN city is out of the high risk areas based on the latest Octa Research released November 30.
The Octa team marked the exit of the city from both high risk and areas of concern for Covid 19 infections.
“Among provinces, commendable was the improvement seen in Benguet province (Baguio City in particular) and Cebu province (Cebu City in particular) where weekly cases have dropped,” Octa said.
The research team believes what citizens do moving forward will be more important than any intervention by government in the fight against Covid-19.
“Hence, we appeal
to our citizens to continue to do their share by being vigilant and disciplined in following the minimum health standards set by the DOH. We also appeal to our citizens to avoid not just crowded and enclosed areas but also to refrain from joining or organizing social gatherings this Christmas season. There is evidence from Europe and North America that increased social mixing among households is driving the second wave of Covid-19 in these parts of the world. To prevent a similar wave here in the Philippines, we encourage the government and LGUs to enforce the current GCQ limit of 10 persons per gathering in the NCR and to discourage office parties and other social events, especially as we approach the Christmas season. Family gatherings should be limited in size and should be celebrated outside to mitigate transmission,” added Octa.
The Octa team is an independent and interdisciplinary research group composed primarily of UP faculty members and alumni. This independent research team also includes contributors from the University of Santo Tomas and Providence College, USA.
A word of caution was given by the team of experts on areas on the list of high risk from data gathered November 22 to 28th; NCR, Davao Del Sur Quezon, Negros Occidental, Pampanga, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental and Western Samar.
“Based on the available data, it is becoming clear to us that the increase in new cases in many places around the country is largely community transmission exacerbated by the rise in mobility due to the opening up of the economy coupled by the deteriorating compliance with the minimum health standard by citizens due to pandemic fatigue. In some places, the situation is further exacerbated by the effects of the recent typhoons (including delays in test reports due to the temporary closing of test centers). The rise in the reproduction number in the NCR, while a cause of concern is not surprising. However, the situation in the NCR is still manageable and should not be a cause for alarm,” the Octa team added.
But data does reinforce the view that the current positive trends in the NCR and in the Philippines are very tenuous and can easily be reversed if the government, the private sector, and the public become less vigilant and complacent in the fight against Covid-19.
The numbers in the report argue for continued vigilance and caution by all in the fight against Covid-19.