Gov’t Special Adviser Says Lockdown Extension Must Be Modified
LOCKDOWN EXTENSION – One of the government’s special advisers on COVID-19 said that the ECQ should be extended but modified.
University of the Philippines executive Vice President Ted Herbosa says that the COVID-19 transmission is flattening, however, it was shortlived.
According to ABS-CBN News, Herbosa added that they have moved to the epidemic peak, or the highest point where transmission will be a bit further to the right.
“We’re intending to recommend to the chief implementor for an extension because that way we can benefit from the gains of this enhanced community quarantine.”
Among the modifications he suggested is the universal wearing of masks. Herbosa added that the recent projection of epidemic’s peak will be in May to June.
“There are models that say the peak will be in late April or mid May or even up to June. It all depends on the public health interventions that our govt will be implementing and how sociwty will follow all those measures,”
“If the measures are followed directly, probably our peak will be much much later and much much lower, allowing our health system to cope.”
As per the report, the special adviser said that for the curve to flatten would take 45 to 75 days. He added that we have moved our peak to the right of the graph, which lets them to build more PUI hospitals.
Herbosa added that they also increased their capacity to do testing for the virus, saying that what’s left is to find PUIs and isolate them in hospitals.
About 600,000 up to 1.2 million Filipinos will be affected by the pandemic peak, which would require 39,000 hospital beds and 9,000 patients requiring intensive care.
Half of the said people would be asymptomatic, 80% would show mild symptoms, and 20% hospitalized.
“That’s our big problem. This will burden our hospital bed capacity, which is actually happening now,”
“We will max out and the consequence of maxing out hospitals is that other disease may not be treated well in any emergency departments if they are full of COVID patients waiting to be treated.”
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