QUEZON CITY -- Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion, together with MMDA Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Jr., led a discussion to provide recent updates from the recently-imposed lockdown in the National Capital Region (NCR) for effective utilization of modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for preventing Delta variant spread across Metro Manila. It was attended by key government officials and Metro Manila mayors. viewed by more than 100,000 audiences across online platforms.

Earlier, Concepcion proposed to only allow fully-vaccinated individuals' entry to various establishments in NCR. As per IATF-EID, once 50 percent of the region's population is already done with getting inoculated, said proposal can be considered.

"This proposal to only allow fully-vaccinated individuals’ full mobility in NCR will not only increase confidence of the consumers in various establishments, as well as banking confidence, which will then drive economic recovery because it can also protect the unvaccinated individuals,” he said.

With that, Concepcion affirmed that because of the recent data, NCR is getting nearer to achieving population protection: “Ultimately our goal is to hit herd immunity, and because we are nearing population protection in NCR, hopefully we can finally attain this by September.”

Meanwhile, MMDA Chairman Abalos expressed his support to the proposal of Concepcion and said that the government will work with the private sector to make it happen. He also explained that the recently-implemented lockdown in the past two weeks has actually helped to slow down the transmission of COVID-19 cases in NCR.

"We can see from the data that there is a decrease in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, and I think that this is because of the lockdown [recent ECQ],” Abalos shared.

Based on the data presented, 70 percent of the total reported COVID-19 cases brought by COVID-19 is from the unvaccinated category. This is equivalent to 15,130 cases from a total of 21,765 cases in NCR. 

As 43.5 percent of the NCR’s total population is already fully vaccinated, Abalos is optimistic that Concepcion’s proposal can finally come to fruition in the next coming months. “PA Joey, I think by the end of the month we can reach 50 percent fully-vaccinated individuals in Metro Manila. We’ll do our best to consider your proposal,” he affirmed.

Meanwhile, IATF-EID Chairperson and DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said that Concepcion’s proposal can actually incentivize the unvaccinated to finally get inoculated. In terms of herd immunity, Duque said that the nature of the Delta variant has increased the threshold for achieving herd immunity than its usual percentage.

"Herd immunity should be at least 87 percent of the population because of the Delta variant,” he shared.

DOH Epidemiology Bureau Medical Specialist Dr. Alethea De Guzman explained that because of vaccination efforts, COVID-19 cases may drop at the end of the year.

"We can expect case projections to drop around November. The earlier we ramp up our vaccination efforts, the earlier we can perceive the benefits in terms of case reduction and decrease in hospitalization,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Guido David of OCTA Research Group says that there is a decrease in the 1-week growth rate of COVID-19 cases in NCR.

"There may be a moderate decrease of cases by September, and this can be attributed to the lockdown,” he expressed. 

Furthermore, Visiting Professor of Biological Sciences of University of Santo Tomas and Professor of Biology and of Theology in Providence College Fr. Nicanor Austriaco affirmed that the recently implemented lockdown has an impact on the number of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.

"August ECQ has in fact slowed down the surge of Delta in NCR. It may be a bit different than that of April ECQ, but it has significantly contributed to lessening of cases. Fully-vaccinated individuals in NCR have contributed to slowing down of the virus in NCR,” Austriaco explained.

Meanwhile, Epidemiologist, senior technical adviser, and head of Epimetrics, Inc. Dr. John Wong expressed that there has to be various measures that will complement our goal of achieving herd immunity. 

"Severe infections and deaths needed to be prevented alongside implementing various measures to attain herd immunity '' he explained.

To conclude, Concepcion reminded that NCR is the targeted model of the proposal since Metro Manila is the concentration of COVID-19 cases, and also where the bulk of the GDP is. “Once 50 percent of Metro Manila population has been fully-vaccinated, considering limiting the mobility of the unvaccinated can be the safer option to open the economy and protect everyone,” he stressed. He then assured that this is not discriminatory, since it will only be a temporary response to right the threat of the Delta variant.

Present in the town hall are IATF-EID Chairperson and DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III, DOH Epidemiology Bureau Medical Specialist Dr. Alethea De Guzman, medical advisers, namely, Visiting Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Santo Tomas and Professor of Biology and of Theology of Providence College in United States Fr. Nicanor Austriaco; Epidemiologist, Senior Technical Adviser and head of Epimetrics Inc. Dr. John Wong, University of the Philippines Professor Ranjot Rye, Dr. Raymundo Lo of Philippine Society of Pathologists, Inc., and health advocate Dr. Tony Leachon. This town hall meeting was moderated by ‘A Dose of Hope’ Project Lead Josephine Romero.       (MCG/PIA-IDPD/Go Negosyo)