DOH: COVID-19 surge reaches July 2020 peak

The Department of Health (DOH) stated that the current surge in COVID-19 cases in the Philippines has reached the peak levels observed in July 2020.

DOH Epidemiology Bureau director Alethea de Guzman noted that new cases in March have shown a 2.5-fold increase compared to January, with an average of 3,000 cases reported in March.

The National Capital Region (NCR) has reached the peak number of COVID-19 infections recorded last year.

The Philippines has been reporting an average of 3,000 cases in recent days, with a peak of 6,000 cases per day in July 2020.

Dr. De Guzman warned that if the current trend continues, the country might breach last year's peak.

She emphasized that the different coronavirus variants are not the sole reason for the increase in cases.

The Metro Lipa Medical Center in Batangas has announced that it can no longer accommodate COVID-19 patients due to high occupancy.

De Guzman expressed optimism that current measures to control the virus spread will prevent further increases, with effects expected to be visible in two to three weeks.