According to INQUIRER.NET, there is a “marked decline’’ in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila and Central Luzon but an uptick in cases is being monitored in the Visayas and Mindanao, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
“We need to closely monitor Visayas and Mindanao since this is where we’re seeing an increase in cases. It’s not a rapid increase but we’re seeing a rise already,” Dr. Alethea De Guzman, OIC director of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau, said in an online press briefing.
INQUIRER.NET mentions, De Guzman said cases in the Zamboanga Peninsula rose to 1,500 at the start of May, which was quadruple the number of cases the region had in April.
Other than Zamboanga, the DOH said it also observed a rise in cases in Western Visayas, Mimaropa, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, Bicol Region, Davao Region, Eastern Visayas and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
When asked what could be the reason for the increase in cases, De Guzman said less strict adherence to minimum public health and safety standards could have caused the increase.
