DOH reports COVID-19 cases clustering in 887 areas

by Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 3 Aug 2020

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 900 areas in the country have a clustering of COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health (DOH) reported Monday.

In a televised Palace press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire bared that a total of 887 areas were observed to have a clustering of COVID-19 patients.

This means that these places have more than two cases of respiratory disease.

The majority or 741 of the total clusters are monitored in different communities nationwide while the rest are seen in jails, hospitals, and other health facilities and workplaces, Vergeire noted.

According to a breakdown provided by DOH after the press conference, 57 of the clusters were from hospitals/health facilities, 26 in jails, and the other 63 were recorded in workplaces, accommodations, and transportation facilities.

In Metro Manila, where the majority of the infections were recorded, there are currently 315 clusters, wherein 241 came from different communities, 34 in hospitals/health facilities, 12 in jails, and 28 in other classification such as workplaces.

The total number of clusters nationwide is higher from DOH’s last report of 638 two weeks ago.

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines continue to surge on a daily basis which health authorities attributed to the country’s improved testing capacity and the increased contact among the population as a result of the relaxation of quarantine measures to reopen the pandemic-battered economy.

Amid the surge in infection, President Rodrigo Duterte heeded the plea of the medical community to reimpose strict lockdown measures in Metro Manila and nearby areas to give them time to recuperate from exhaustion due to the continuous surge of COVID-19 cases nationwide, which already breached the 100,000 mark.

Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan will be under a modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ from August 4 to 18.

On Sunday, DOH reported a record-high 5,032 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the country’s total caseload to 103,185.

More than half or 55,808 of the total infections nationwide came from Metro Manila.

The country’s death toll climbed to 2,059 while the recoveries reached 65,557 as of August 2.