QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- OCTA experts expressed consensus stating that the National Capital Region (NCR) is not yet ready to opt for a lesser quarantine restriction given the serious threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
Professor Ranjit Rye of OCTA Research inclined to suggest placing high risk areas like NCR in status quo following the anecdotal yet evident negligence on the part of the general public regarding the strict enforcement of the prescribed minimum health standards.
The plateauing of COVID-19 cases in NCR was on the other hand viewed by Dr. Guido David as a trend that constituents ‘can live with’ and not necessarily adverse citing that the present infection rate in the capital region with 600 daily reported cases can be considered at a moderate level.
With the continuous rollout of the anti-COVID jabs, the said experts are also optimistic about achieving the target population protection of the country by Christmas, however, they sought to emphasize that the pace of reaching this goal remains to be the call of the public who are making the decision to get vaccinated as an act of citizenship.
OCTA also reiterated that the vaccination prioritization of the national government should stick to the NCR Plus 8, Plus 10 blueprint where community transmission is deemed prevalent owing to their initial calculation that inoculating the 20-30% of the population in these areas could lead the transition phase of NCR from General Community Quarantine (GCQ) to Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) status.
In particular, the A2 priority group or the senior citizens are encouraged to adhere with their eligibility to get immunized especially with the prospective allocation of the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Janssen Pharmaceutical to both sectors of senior citizens and persons with comorbidities or A3 upon its scheduled arrival on July 19 as per Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje of the National Vaccinations Operations Center.
Meanwhile, the OCTA research team conveyed their support to the recent move of the national government to allow children aged 5 years old and above to go outside but with "caution" in view of the health risk factor that these non-immunized group is confronting especially those who will ride public utility vehicles to visit the ‘green and go’ spaces.
Aside from the open air feature of the safe zones where children are allowed to go, Professor Rye also noted that the presence of guideline enforcers on top of sanitation facilities should be one of the primary considerations in easing the age restriction.
To date, the Department of Health (DOH), through Secretary Francisco Duque the III, reported the decline of case fatality rate in NCR from 5.78% to 4.6% during the COVID-19 virtual presser of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte along with several cabinet members on erlier this week. (PIA-NCR with reports from OJT Janna Pineda)
