No need to revert to MECQ – Palace

Philippines has highest COVID-19 cases in West Pacific

MANILA, Philippines — Despite reports of family clusters being infected by COVID-19, Malacañang reiterated there is no need yet to shift to a stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

“Our basis is the capacity to give medical attention to those with serious cases. If we lack ICU beds, of isolation beds in (hospitals), the classification will change,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque, Jr. said in Filipino.

Recent statistics do not call for the shift to MECQ, as experts are looking at the daily attack rates and health care utilization rates as barometers before shifting quarantine classification, Roque explained.

“There is no reason to close down the economy once again because if we do, many will go hungry,” he said, noting that there’s no reason to impose a tighter classification, especially in Metro Manila, because isolation and ICU beds are still available up to 60 to 65 percent in major hospitals.

Highest in Western Pacific

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Philippines recorded 9,745 new cases for the past 72 hours, the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the past three days among countries in the Western Pacific.

The country also posted the biggest number of COVID-19 cases and fatalities, followed by Japan.

“We have learned lessons from last year and we were able to contain the virus and we are doing again the same kind of strategy by doing localized lockdown and observing minimum health standards,” Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega admitted.

Meanwhile, Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) member Dr. John Wong warned of a nine-fold growth in COVID cases by the end of March if the UK variant becomes the dominant strain in the country.

“If the UK variant becomes the dominant strain, which means it accounts for more than 50 percent of our cases, we can have nine times more cases after a month,” Wong noted.

According to Wong, in terms of transmissibility, the UK variant is more concerning than the South African variant that is reportedly resistant to vaccines.

On the other hand, Taguig City mayor Lino Cayetano suggested the removal of community quarantine levels currently imposed in several areas in the country.

“There should be no more ECQ, MGCQ. The whole country is in the new normal now. A faster transition to the new normal will actually help us eradicate this virus and battle this pandemic better,” Cayetano said in Filipino.

“We don’t need many rules, and I think it will help us for a better and easier transition,” he said in English and Filipino. – Mayen Jaymalin, Ghio Ong