MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines flattened the epidemic curve of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) “for a time” in April due to the implementation of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said yesterday.
In a statement read by DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, Duque said the ECQ, imposed over the entire Luzon in mid-March, “has served its purpose.”
“We flattened the curve for a time until we started opening up. We will continue to see increases in cases but what we need is to make sure that it does not translate to deaths,” he noted.
Duque based his statement on the improvement of the country’s case doubling time (CDT), which in April passed the three-day doubling time mark.
As of July 15, the CDT is eight days.
CDT pertains to the period during which the number of confirmed cases double.
He said what is important is that the severe and critical patients remain “at manageable level so that the health system and healthcare workers will not be overwhelmed.” Elizabeth Marcelo
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