COVID-19 SURGE | Doctors expect worse situation if government won’t reverse GCQ ruling

September 7, 2021 , 10:00 AM

By Beatrice Puente

(September 7, 2021) – The government should reconsider the implementation of general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila due to the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, a doctors’ group urged on Monday.

Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, warned hospitals will further become overwhelmed if the government would not reverse its decision, doubting the efficacy of granular lockdowns to contain the troubling surge in infections.

“We expect na kapag nag-relax ang community quarantine measures natin, definitely (tataas ang kaso),” said Limpin on One News’ The Chiefs. “Wala naman tayong pagbabagong ginawa sa contact tracing, testing, isolation interventions natin. Even the border control remains to be the same.”

Local officials would be tasked to implement granular lockdowns during GCQ to isolate streets or communities with high incidence of COVID-19 cases, placing certain areas under different alert levels to indicate the gravity of the situation. Specific guidelines have yet to be released by the Inter-Agency Task Force.

Even the OCTA Research Group rejected the proposal due to the limited evidence supporting the efficacy of granular lockdowns in stemming widespread community transmission. The group said this plan could only work if an entire region would be placed under the same system.

“We’re concerned that if this does not work, at a point when we’re actually seeing that the curve might plateau soon in two to three weeks, there’s a chance that we might lose effective control of the pandemic and it will become much worse than it is,” said researcher Guido David on the ABS-CBN News Channel.

On Monday, the Philippines recorded its highest single-day infection tally at 22,415, which brought the total active cases to almost 160,000. Around 73% of intensive care unit beds in Metro Manila have also been occupied, indicating the high number of admissions of COVID-19 patients.

Limpin also raised concerns over the impact of granular lockdowns on Filipinos who would be left with no source of livelihood. She stressed that the cash aid from the government would barely be enough to fill the needs of a family.

“‘Yung ayuda ba na ‘yun ay forever? Masisiguro ba nila na ‘di mawawalan ng trabaho ‘yung mga tao? Kung nawalan ba ng trabaho, will they be able to provide the necessary financial assistance habang walang trabaho ‘yung taong ‘yun?” asked Limpin, lamenting the “very difficult” situation that people would be subjected to.

For now, Limpin said they are calling for the reimposition of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for at least two weeks to help hospitals recover.

Limpin also encouraged public officials to strengthen the health measures to control the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, such as increased testing, improved surveillance, and faster vaccination. Only more than 14.1 million have been fully inoculated nationwide.

(PM)

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