An average of 141 people died each day from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the first three weeks of April amid the current surge of cases, statistics from the Department of Health showed.
Deaths totaled 2,968 from April 1 to 21, reaching a daily peak of 401 fatalities on April 9, DOH data as tracked by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University revealed.
The DOH reported 145 new fatalities on Saturday, bringing the total death toll to 16,674, which is 1.69 percent of the country’s total 989,380 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in mid-March last year.
In addition, 105 deaths were reported on Thursday and 159 on Friday, bringing the 7-day average this past week to 113, Johns Hopkins data showed.
“We saw the progression of the COVID-19 and that is part of the course of the disease,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in the “24 Oras” TV program.
“We have said that whenever cases increase, we can expect more fatalities. And we have seen this increase in the number of cases for the past two months,” she added.
About 65 percent of the deaths are senior citizens, in particular from the 70 to 74 years old age group. Over 30 percent of the fatalities came from the National Capital Region, followed by 20 percent from Region III and 17 percent from Region IV-A.
The Philippines logged 9,661 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, as one laboratory was not operational on April 22 while five laboratories were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System (CDRS) on time.
Active cases stood at 89,485, which is 9 percent of the total. Of the active cases, 95.9 percent were mild; 1.4 percent were asymptomatic; 0.8 percent were critical; 1.1 percent were severe; and 0.7 percent were moderate.
The DOH reported that 22,877 persons recently recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 883,221, which is 89.3 percent of the total.
ICU bed situation
The DOH also reported that, nationwide, 63 percent of the ICU beds, 48 percent of the isolation beds, 53 percent of the ward beds, and 46 percent of the ventilators were utilized.
In Metro Manila, 71 percent of the ICU beds, 59 percent of the isolation beds, 66 percent of the ward beds, and 59 percent of the ventilators were utilized.
The DOH reported that 21 duplicates were removed from the total case count. Of these, 12 were recoveries.
Moreover, 56 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.
The Department of Science and Technology on Saturday said researchers who will work on the clinical trials of ivermectin as a potential treatment drug for COVID-19 are eyeing to start the study by the end of May.
Meanwhile, another hospital on Thursday was given a compassionate special permit for the use of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19.
Dip due to lockdown
Further monitoring is needed even as the effects of the strict lockdown in Metro Manila and nearby provinces are starting to be felt with a slight decrease in average daily COVID-19 cases over the past week, according to the Department of Health.
In a public press briefing Saturday, Vergeire said daily average cases are now at 9,556 this week, lower than the 10,858 daily cases seen the week before — attributing it to the effects of the ECQ and localized lockdowns.
However, Vergeire said this did not mean that everyone should be complacent.
She said the transmission rate has declined and average daily cases were lower this week at 9,556 from 10,858 last week.
The National Capital Region (NCR) Plus bubble (Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan) was previously placed under the strictest form of lockdown, the enhanced community quarantine, amid a COVID-19 surge which has overwhelmed hospitals, before shifting to a slightly lighter modified ECQ.
Recovery program
Vergeire said the number of recoveries was expected as most of the country’s COVID-19 cases were mild or asymptomatic.
The government last week also started to tally their time-bound recovery program titled “Oplan Recovery” daily, instead of every Sunday.
Vergeire assured the public that they have placed layers in the verification process to ensure that the submitted data is accurate, such as verifying the data with local government units.
“We also have another layer where we send it to our local government, to our regional office para ma-verify ito. At ‘pag bumabalik sa’tin itinatalaga na po silang recovered. So nawawala na po rito ang mga aktibong kaso at ‘yung mga namatay po dahil sa COVID-19 so that is how we make sure that this is accurate,” Vergeire said.
The pandemic task force is set to discuss whether or not NCR and neighboring provinces should shift to looser quarantine protocols, according to Vergeire.
Benefits for frontliners
A leader of the House of Representatives appealed to the Department of Health to step up its efforts and expedite the release of allowances and other benefits of medical workers at the frontlines of the country’s battle against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Manila Rep. Manuel Luis Lopez, chairman of the House committee on Metro Manila Development, said the health workers deserve to get all the needed as mandated by law without delay.
“As some of you may know, I am a newly-minted COVID-survivor. I knew and experienced first-hand the difficulty this disease brings to those it afflicts as well as to their family members and loved ones. I also realized, even more now, the strain and difficulty this disease brings to our healthcare workers,” Lopez said.
“Every day they go to work putting at risk their own safety and well-being and that of their families so that they can take care of the sick. We can only imagine the risk, fear and anguish that they unnecessarily have to go through in the performance of their duty. All of us owe our healthcare workers our deepest gratitude,” he added.
Lopez earlier sought an investigation of the reported delay in the release of the benefits due to health workers through House Resolution 1704.
He cited the need for a congressional inquiry since such benefits are mandated by law and to determine the effectiveness of the measures instituted by various agencies to address the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, including preparedness to administer vaccines.
Infected frontliners
As of March 26, DOH data shows that a total of 15,662 healthcare workers have been afflicted with COVID-19, with 82 deaths. Considering the current surge of infections, particularly in Metro Manila, this number has definitely increased, Lopez said.
Given these figures, Lopez said the Health department must be able to provide the investigating committee with a list of all health workers who have contracted COVID and those who have lost their lives due to the virus.
He said Congress would want to “properly honor our fallen heroes, the healthcare workers manning our hospitals, health centers, and other health institutions, including our very front line first responders in the community, our barangay health workers, who are often wrongly forgotten and forsaken, who practically work with minimal honorarium and allowances.”
“The least we can do for our frontliners, both in the private and public sector, is to make sure that the benefits and allowances due them under the laws are provided in full and with dispatch,” he said.
Lopez said some of the following provisions of law mandates a compensation to public and private health workers who have contracted COVID-19 in the line of duty: (1) in case of death of the health worker, P1 million shall be provided to the heirs of the health worker; (2) in case of sickness, for a severe or critical case, P100,000; (3) in case of sickness, for a mild or moderate case, P15,000.