People wearing face masks as protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) prepare to present their vaccination cards as the Philippine capital region limits public transport to allow only fully vaccinated individuals, at a train station in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, January 17, 2022. (Reuters/Lisa Marie David)
Some doctors and concerned Filipinos called on their fellow Pinoys to be responsible and observe health and safety protocols amid the steady rise in new COVID-19 cases.
According to the Department of Health‘s tracker, as of June 23, the country currently has 5,523 active COVID-19 cases.
There were also 716 additional COVID-19 cases on that day, bringing the total cases to 3,698,509.
Of these, 3,632,491 patients have recovered and 60,495 have died.
Data analyst Edson Guido said that the current data on active cases is the highest since May 1.
Citing data from the tracker, the country’s positivity rate is 4.7% from June 19 to 22.
DOH has yet to release a new COVID-19 bulletin for this week.
In the last one, the health department reported a daily average of 436 cases in the country.
COVID-19 case bulletin from the Department of Health uploaded on June 20, 2022
This might seem like a small figure. However, this is an 82% increase in cases from June 13 to 19, compared to the previous period (June 6 to 12).
For comparison, the latter period only logged an average of 240 cases a day.
Following this development, some physicians told their fellow citizens to follow the anti-COVID measures for the public’s welfare.
“Tumataas talaga ang admissions ng COVID guys so ingat lagi. Get vaccinated if you can,” internist Jai Cabajar said.
“With our increasing number of cases, the health, safety and well-being of everyone should be our priority. We are responsible for our actions as these have health consequences. At the end of the day, let’s continue to wish everyone to be safe and healthy,” another doctor named Harold Henrison Chiu said.
“We cannot go into any lockdown anymore. That’s a given. So please. As the cases continue to rise, can we all be responsible and morally accountable for our daily actions? Hindi na kailangan ulit ulitin yan,” a doctor with the handle @docbenjisays tweeted.
Some Filipinos, meanwhile, discussed the accessibility of antigen and RT-PCR test kits to the public.
Some of them lamented that RT-PCR tests are still too expensive for most people to gain access to.
“RT PCR tests should be accessible by now jusko 2 years na ang mahal pa rin. This country only favors negosyantes, one user said.
Others pointed out that there are now more private entities offering RT-PCR tests than before.
“Three years na po ang naka lipas since 2019 COVID lockdown. Ang dami na pong mga information ang na RT dito sa twitter. Sana naman we can be responsible to test, retest and isolate ourselves regarding this matter. Huwag na po tayong mag t*ng*-t*ng*h*n sa ganitong issues,” a physician said.
These talks made it to local Twitter ahead of the much-anticipated Metro Manila Pride March and Festival on Saturday, June 25.
The pride march is an annual event wherein the LGBTQ community and their allies gather on the streets and along the roads to uphold their rights and call for equality.
