OCTA Research Group is warning the public that COVID-19 cases may jump to 5,000 daily in Metro Manila if stricter lockdowns will not be imposed.
OCTA Research fellow and molecular biologist Fr. Nicanor Austriaco Jr. said in a virtual conference that “once a Delta surge begins, it will accelerate in an explosive fashion”.
Indonesia, India and other countries have been experiencing steady surge as triggered by the Delta variant.
“Projections based on the behavior of the Delta variant in our Asean neighbors suggest that the surge will begin to impact our healthcare system in the NCR by the middle of August. Our hospitals will become overwhelmed by the end of August,” Austriaco said.
The expert said that the government should ‘go hard, go early’ to avert the dreaded surge.
“The longer we wait to act, the harder it will be to halt and reverse the surge,” he added.
“In my view, it is not a question of whether or not we will have a hard lockdown. Instead, it is when and for how long,” the OCTA expert said.
OCTA professor Guido David said that an average of 5,000 cases a day in Metro Manila is not impossible in August.
The group is pushing for a circuit breaker lockdown which means that people should stay at home as much as they can.
Work from home both for the private and government sector is also being urged.
Essential businesses and mass transportation will remain under the proposed lockdown.
