MANILA, Philippines — The average coronavirus cases recorded per day in Quezon City have been steadily declining for the past three weeks, an independent research group said.
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, the Quezon City local government said that according to the findings of the UP OCTA Research Team, the average number of daily cases dropped from 540 on the week of August 10-16 to 456 from August 17 to 23.
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It further dropped to 372 from August 24 to 30, and later on to 205 from August 1 to September 6.
The LGU added that the city's Reproduction Number, which indicates the average number of people who will contract a contagious disease, "also dropped for five straight weeks from 1.47 (July 27 to Aug. 2) to 0.92 on Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, indicating a decline in the movement of the virus."
QC COVID-19 task force head Joseph Juico urged residents to stay vigilant despite the decline in cases, saying the local government still needs their cooperation to contain the spread of the virus.
“The city cannot afford another lockdown so we need everyone’s cooperation in following protocols such as wearing of masks and face shields, proper handwashing, and social distancing,” said Juico.
Earlier, the OCTA research group said the coronavirus curve in the country would flatten by September.
Health authorities have acknowledged significant improvement in the country’s indicators of the epidemic, although the Department of Health maintains that there is no certainty yet that the coronavirus curve has flattened.
According to health undersecretary Rosette Vergeire, flattening the curve for the department means “spreading the cases in a longer period of time so our health system would not be overwhelmed.”
As of the Department of Health's latest bulletin issued Tuesday afternoon, the coronavirus caseload in the Philippines stands at 241,987. — Franco Luna