New COVID-19 cases can reach 20,000 per day: OCTA

The number of new COVID-19 cases recorded in the country per day is likely to hit 20,000, according to a group of experts.

“‘Yong 20,000, mukhang very possible na maabot natin iyan within the next two weeks. 20,000 cases in one day. Itong 17,000 na nakita natin 2 days ago, hindi pa iyan ‘yong pinakamataas, hindi pa iyan ‘yong peak,” said Guido David of the OCTA Research Group, a group of professors conducting the study on COVID-19 data.

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David cites the 17,231 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Friday, the highest number of new cases in a day since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Officials had earlier said it would take another few weeks before seeing the impact of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which was implemented in some parts of the country 2 weeks ago, on COVID-19 data.

But according to OCTA, the growth rate or increase in cases in Metro Manila has slowed in the past week amid the ECQ.

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In NCR, the reproduction rate or number of people likely to be infected by 1 infected individual dropped to 1.67, compared to the past 7 days of 1.9.

But there is an increase in cases outside Metro Manila, such as in Cavite, Laguna, Cebu City, and Mindanao, while the number of patients in Rizal province is increasing rapidly.

New COVID-19 cases can reach 20,000 per day: OCTA

There was an average of 3,819 new COVID-19 cases per day in Metro Manila in the past week or from August 15 to 21.

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The growth rate is at 24 percent, but it is lower than the growth rate of 48 percent in the past 2 weeks and 72 percent in the past 3 weeks.

According to infectious disease specialist Dr. Marimel Reyes-Pagcatipunan, more and more children are getting COVID-19.

But nationwide, 90 percent of children with COVID-19 are said to have mild or no symptoms.

Meanwhile, the capacity of Cagayan Valley Medical Center in Tuguegarao City will soon be filled for COVID-19 patients.

It is still a problem because up to 100 health care workers in the hospital are getting sick.

The hospital has also rented 2 hotels as a stepdown facility for mild and recovering patients, according to the hospital’s medical center chief Dr. Glenn Baggao.

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