‘Return to NCR after Undas may cause COVID-19 surge’

MANILA, Philippines — After the long holiday, a surge in COVID-19 cases is possible in Metro Manila as those returning from vacation in the provinces might have unknowingly brought the virus home, a medical expert said.

At present, there is a downward positivity rate for COVID-19 in the National Capital Region, but Dr. Benito Atienza, Philippine Federation of Professional Associations vice president, warned this could be reversed following the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

“That is what troubles me – those who went to the province might be the ones bringing it back from the province,” Atienza, speaking in Filipino, told yesterday’s Laging Handa public briefing.

“They might be carrying it upon returning in Manila, then proceed to their workplaces and their kids go to school as well,” he added.

To prevent a possible surge, Atienza urged the public to continue complying with the minimum public health standards, including the wearing of face masks.

He said the easing of the mask mandate for indoor settings, including schools, could reverse the declining trend of COVID-19 cases.

“It is alarming if our students would take their masks off. Why? That’s because many among the youth are not vaccinated or have not received a booster shot,” he pointed out.

This is why the medical community has been advising students to keep wearing their masks inside their classrooms, said Atienza.

He stressed that COVID-19, as well as other respiratory diseases, can easily be transmitted inside air-conditioned and poorly ventilated classrooms.

He reiterated that masking will not only prevent COVID-19 from spreading, but other diseases such as pneumonia and influenza which are also expected to surge following the typhoons.

Yesterday, an additional 775 COVID-19 cases were reported by the DOH, bringing to 4,005,840 the country’s total caseload.

The DOH said 18,689 of these cases are active while 3,923,006 are recovered. The number of those who succumbed to the infection rose to 64,145.

Metro Manila posted the biggest number of new cases in the last 14 days with 4,679, followed by Region 4A (Calabarzon) with 2,861 and Region 6 (Western Visayas) with 1,658.