The Department of Health (DOH) announced Tuesday the rate of spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had slowed down because of the month-long and a half enhanced community quarantine in the entire Luzon.
According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the “doubling time” of the virus has slowed down, from three days to five days.
“Ang sabi ng mga eksperto, bumabagal na ang doubling time. Ibig sabihin kung dati, sa loob ng tatlong araw dumodoble ang mga kaso, ngayon ay mas matagal na ito, halos limang araw na ang average,” Vergeire said in a virtual press briefing.
(According to the experts, the doubling time is slowing down. It means that if before it takes only three days for the cases to double, now it is longer. It is now almost five days in an average.)
Vergeire, however, said the government aims to make the COVID-19 doubling time to 30 days.
According to the DOH COVID-19 CASE BULLETIN #038 posted on its Facebook page, as of 4 PM today, April 21, 2020, the Department of Health reports 140 new cases(PH6460-PH6599) of COVID-19. The total number of cases in the country is now at 6,599.
DOH also announced 41 new recoveries. This brings the total number of recoveries to 654.
Also read: 43 RITM staff test positive for COVID-19
Gov’t raises COVID-19 fund to P1.49 trillion
The government already raised a P1.49 trillion budget for the country’s fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
“The total amount of funds we have now committed to combat the virus is now P1.491 trillion,” Dominguez said.
“This is right now close to $30 billion, which is already 8% of our GDP (gross domestic product) last year,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III announced during the virtual meeting of the Economic Stimulus Package subcommittee of the House Defeat COVID-19 Committee.
“This is right now close to $30 billion, which is already 8% of our GDP (gross domestic product) last year,” he added.
Dominguez said earlier, the government targets to raise around P1.17 trillion for its coronavirus response measures. Of this amount, around P836.4 billion would be raised together with monetary authorities “for the support of the economy.”
President Rodrigo Duterte admitted last week the government is running low on supplies, adding it cannot “feed the people forever.”