COVID-19 hospitalization seen rising by end-August or start of September — DOH’s Vergeire

The country may see an increase in hospital utilization rate by the end of August or start of September due to COVID-19 infections, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that based on projections, the COVID-19 cases nationally may escalate to 1,800 to 11,000 next month if the booster uptake will not be ramped up as the wall of immunity of some individuals will already wane by then.

This is also in consideration to the possible reduction of compliance to minimum public health standards by as much as 25% and if the current mobility patterns of the public will be maintained at this level.

“Towards the end of August and start of September, we might be seeing an increase in hospitalization. As to the increase in the number of cases, the updated projections would state that it might be that the peak would be at the end of this July,” Vergeire said in a CNN-Philippines interview.

In June, Vergeire said the country’s observance of minimum public health standards decreased by 21% amid the continuing rise in COVID-19 infections.

She warned that with a 21% decrease in health protocol compliance, the COVID-19 cases nationally may go up to 17,105 by the end of July.

From July 4 to July 10, 2022, the Philippines recorded a total of 10,271 new COVID-19 cases which is around 39% higher than the cases reported on June 27 to July 3.

On Monday alone, 1,660 new COVID-19 infections were logged which brought the country’s active caseload to 14,218.

The booster uptake remains a challenge for the national government as only 15.3 million individuals have received their booster shots. Meanwhile, 71 million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. — RSJ, GMA News