Metro Manila could record between 800 to 1,200 fresh COVID-19 infections daily by the end of the month if cases continue to grow, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday, just as it warned about the rising hospitalization rate in some regions.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Philippines is averaging about 350 cases daily this week, higher by “about 50 percent to 60 percent” from the previous week.
The capital region, however, posted an average of 170 cases daily from just 102 infections the week before.
Meanwhile, the rollout of booster shots for 12 to 17 years old may start as soon as DOH…next week once the guidelines have been released, the DOH said Saturday.
Vergeire said the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) has already submitted its recommendation to the office of DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III for approval.
Once he gives his go signal, Vergeire said the DOH would start drafting the guidelines immediately.
“Cases continue to rise even if the rate of increase is slowing, so we should all still be cautious,” Vergeire said in a public briefing.
“What we have are projections that by the end of June we could reach 800 to 1,200 cases per day if the current rate continues,” she added.
Several areas in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Caraga regions were also being monitored for reporting a slight increase in hospital admissions due to the virus. Vergeire declined to disclose the specifics.
She clarified that the national hospitalization rate remains below 20 percent.
Metro Manila can be elevated to Alert Level 2 if its average daily attack rate (ADAR) or the number of fresh infections in an area, “would be more than 6 per 100,000 of the population,” said Vergeire.
Hospitalizations, she said, must also reach the moderate risk level to be placed in a stricter quarantine level.
Despite these projections, Vergeire cautioned the public and analysts on calling it a “surge.”
The recent spike in COVID-19 cases may be attributed to the population’s waning immunity due to the “slow uptake” of COVID-19 boosters as well as the presence of more transmissible omicron variants, the DOH said.
“Once the DOH, through the Secretary, approves the recommendation of the HTAC, the DOH would now draft the guidelines on how we are going to implement these booster doses for 12 to 17 years old,” Vergeire said in a Laging Handa briefing.
“If it indeed gets the signature, the rollout is possible next week once guidelines are out,” she added.
The Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization for Pfizer as a booster shot for minors aged 12 to 17 last June 14.
Following this, the HTAC gave its green light to administer an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose to the age group, the recommendation of which was forwarded to Duque last June 16.