The Philippines now has more COVID-19 cases than China, as the Department of Health (DOH) reports hospitals are closed to being overwhelmed.
The health department reported 1,874 new coronavirus cases on July 29, bringing the total to 85, 486. China, as of the latest data, has a total of 84,060 COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, Indonesia recorded 2,381 new infections on July 29, taking the total to 104,432, which is the highest in South-east Asia. It also has the highest of 4,975.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told ASB-CBN Teleradyo that it would hard to make a comparison between the COVID-19 situation in China and the Philippines.
“Hindi naman. Ang sa China naman ay iba yung sa kanilang datos. Iba ‘yung settings nila. ‘Yung sa atin, nakakakita tayo ngayon ng pagtaas in specific areas of the country katulad ng National Capital Region,” she said.
(China has different data. They have a different setting. In our case, we observed an increase in specific areas of the country, such as in the National Capital Region.)
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“They have different numbers. They have a different setting. Okay lang naman magkumpara because we are benchmarking pero dapat maintindihan din natin na magkakaiba po tayo ng sistema sa bawat bansa. Iba ang health system ng China. Iba ang health system ng Pilipinas,” she added.
(They have different numbers. They have a different setting. It is okay to compare because we are benchmarking, but we must also understand that we have different systems in each country. China’s health system is different. The health system of the Philippines is different.)
Vergeire added that the increase in cases is due to the return of LSIs to their hometowns, gradual easing of community quarantines, and the non-compliance of minimum health standards.
The DOH, however, noted that the COVID-19 death rate of the Philippines has decreased to below 3 percent.
Vergeire reported earlier that the country’s healthcare system was close to being overwhelmed due to the increasing COVID-19 cases.
The national COVID-19 bed occupancy rate is now at the “warning zone,” she said.
The DOH official said 52.3% or 8,577 of the 16,388 beds allotted for COVID-19 patients nationwide were occupied as of July 26.