QC mayor to COVID patients: Wear masks, stay home
QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte urged residents to continue wearing face masks in public and stay indoors when experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
Belmonte made the call after the city government raised the red alert status in its COVID-19 early warning system given the rising COVID-19 cases in the city for the past week.
“These are basic precautionary measures that we have been doing for the past years. It is important that we continue implementing this for our safety especially now that cases are rising,” Belmonte said.
According to the record of the QC Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (QCESU), the daily average cases for December 4-7 is 27 which is 57.9% higher compared to the previous week’s average. Meanwhile, the average positivity rate based on tests conducted is at 14.55%.
The average daily attack rate per 100,000 population, on the other hand, is at .85 and the forecasted reproduction number is 1.
In June 2022, the QCESU devised an early warning system to monitor cases, analyze trends and recommend necessary measures to prevent outbreaks.
Based on the parameters of this system and the current COVID-19 data, the red status alert is currently being raised since the growth rate has breached 50% and the average positivity rate is beyond 5.
QCESU Chief Dr. Rolando Cruz attributed the rise in cases to get-togethers and parties this Christmas season and relaxed COVID restrictions such as wearing of masks.
“We have seen in the past years during the height of the pandemic that holiday seasons attract more cases.
Since the chilly weather can also affect the immunity of our people, we would like to remind our QCitizens to remain vigilant, especially for COVID-like symptoms such as cough, colds and fever,” Dr. Cruz said.
As of Dec. 7, there are 186 active COVID-19 cases recorded in Quezon City.
