THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in schools remain manageable as it sought to appease parents and guardians amid the rising number of new infections throughout the country.
In a press conference, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said parents and guardians should not worry since transmission of the coronavirus in schools “is immediately cut off because there are safety officers in school.”
“It is expected that cases will be there as long as these are not severe or critical cases. If it comes to a time that cases will surge and hospital admission will be overwhelming, that’s the time we will rethink our policy,” Vergeire, who is the DOH officer-in-charge, said.
Vergeire said they have yet to get data from the Department of Education (DepEd) as to the number of COVID-19 cases in schools since face-to-face classes resumed in late August.
“We cannot come out with a number because we have yet to harmonize our statistics with DepEd,” she said.
OCTOBER CASES
As she tried to temper the concerns of parents and guardians, Vergeire said the DOH sees COVID-19 cases climbing to 4,000 per day by the end of October under the current scenario.
Vergeire said the increase is largely due to higher mobility and the easing of the policy on the mandatory wearing of face masks in public places.
“Based on our projections, these 4,000 daily cases nationally may happen by the end of October,” said Vergeire, adding that the number may even go higher if the people will be less adherent to the minimum public health standards (MPHS).
“If the compliance rate to the MPHS decreases further, we may see higher numbers come the end of the month,” said Vergeire.
Over the weekend, the independent OCTA Research said the country may record up to 4,000 daily COVID-19 cases this month.
On Monday, the DOH reported that there is an average of 2,288 cases daily for the period of September 26 to October 2, which is 10 percent lower than cases reported from September 19 to 25.
But, just a week ago, the average daily cases went up by 22 percent for the period of September 19 to 25 compared to the period of September 12 to 18.
In a televised public briefing, infectious disease expert Dr Edsel Salvaña said the decline seen last Monday cannot be viewed as a start of a downward trend yet because the numbers climbed just a week prior to it.
“We are not yet seeing continued decline in cases. The decrease was also minimal. We cannot say yet if this will be a continuing (downward) trend,” said Salvaña.
He said this also means that it is not yet conclusive to say that the easing of the masking mandate will pose problems.
“It is still too early to say that we no longer need to wear masks outdoors. We are not yet past that period where we can see the full effect of easing the mask mandate,” said Salvaña.
The government removed the mandatory face mask policy for outdoor areas.
Vergeire reiterated the government’s appeal for parents and guardians to have their children vaccinated against the virus.
“The number one defense against COVID-19 by students remains to be vaccine. We hope to encourage more parents to have their children vaccinated so they’ll be better protected,” she said.
Similarly, she said the public must continue adhering to the minimum public health standards (MPHS) when in school.
“Children must always wear masks, be in rooms with proper ventilation, frequently wash their hands, and follow safety protocol officers,” she added.
Last Friday, the DepEd reported that several schools across the country have reported cases of COVID-19 among students, teachers, and other school personnel. No figures were given.
The Academic Year 2022-2023 opened last August 22, while the full rollout of face-to-face classes in both public and private schools will be in November.
