With the Department of Health (DOH) projecting over 10,600 daily COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) by October, the government has urged local government units (LGUs) to be more vigilant in implementing basic health protocols to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.
Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. said the DOH’s projection is a clear warning that all LGUs in the country should not relax their COVID-19 measures just yet and should be ready to mitigate the possibility of a surge in their own localities in the coming months.
As of 11 August, NCR leads the regions with the most number of COVID-19 cases, registering 15,804 new cases in the last 14 days, followed by CALABARZON with 10,049; Central Luzon with 5,102; and Western Visayas with 2,760.
The DOH is attributing the projected spike in October to the low administration of booster doses, low compliance with prescribed health and safety protocols, increase in human mobility and the fast transmission of Omicron subvariants.
The department has launched PinasLakas, a campaign that aims to immunize 23.8 million or at least 50 percent of the eligible population with COVID-19 booster shots within the first 100 days of the Marcos Jr. administration.
In line with the campaign, Abalos also urged all LGUs in the country to be proactive in their booster shot and vaccination drives.
In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 25, President Ferdinand ‘BongBong’ R. Marcos Jr. ruled out any further COVID-19 lockdowns under his administration.