The OCTA Research group defended an employers group’s comment that they were only raising alarm with their projections of a possible increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
On Teleradyo, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said that based on science, their forecast is not speculation.
“For planning ‘yan para alam natin na kailangan nating magtulong-tulungan kasi ang sinasabi lang niyan kung wala tayong gagawin, hindi tayo magtutulungan, ‘yun ang aabutin natin,” said David.
“Kung napakinggan kami mga two weeks ago, posibleng baka nagawan na natin ng mas maagang solusyon para hindi na tayo umabot sa ganitong kalagayan,” he added.
On Tuesday night, Employers Confederation of the Philippines chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis said that the OCTA Research group’s release of an estimated increase in COVID-19 cases is causing confusion.
For Ortiz-Luis, the studies should be handed over to the government and let it give notices to the public.
OCTA Research insists COVID-19 cases projections based on science
“Hindi ko alam kung ano ang expertise nila. Nakakagulo lang sila, nakaka-panic ng tao. Hindi ko sinasabing hindi tayo mag-iingat. Mag-ingat tayo. Gawin natin ang kailangan nating gawin. Pero huwag tayong mag-overreact, because maraming ibang konsiderasyon,” said Ortiz-Luis.
“Maraming ibang ikamamatay ang tao aside from COVID. Maraming nagugutom, namamalimos pa nga hanggang ngayon ang iba nating mga kababayan natin,” he added.
Localized lockdowns are part of the implementation of quarantine protocols, and the implementation of various restrictions such as curfews and closures of some businesses now that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country is increasing again.
It may be recalled that OCTA Research estimates that it is possible that 10,000 to 11,000 COVID-19 cases will be recorded per day by the end of March. Apart from variants, the increase in COVID-19 cases points to the loose implementation of COVID-19 restrictions.
According to Dr. Beverly Ho, director of the Department of Health’s Health Promotion Bureau, there is nothing wrong with providing the group’s projections.
In fact, according to Ho, the analysis of data by independent groups even helps so that the public listens to others as well.