PH reached ‘substantial population immunity’ from COVID virus — OCTA
The Philippines already achieved a substantial population immunity against the COVID-19 virus as infections and hospitalization decrease despite higher mobility, according to OCTA Research fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco.
During a government meeting, Austriaco explained that the country only had about 500 cases per day, its lowest case numbers in 20 months.
He added that the hospitalization numbers are also at their lowest, with the Makati Medical Center announcing for the first time that it has no COVID-19 patients.
The OCTA Researcher noted that this trend is “interesting” because the government had already eased its movement restrictions resulting in higher mobility in the country since March 2020.
Austriaco concluded that “the fact that the virus is struggling to find new Filipinos to infect, suggests that we have attained substantial population immunity.”
According to OCTA reports, the Philippines is also in better conditions compared to its neighboring countries — Thailand and Vietnam.
When it comes to future surges, Austriaco said that Metro Manila will “probably going to be robustly protected” due to its high vaccination rate.
However, Malacañang advised that Filipinos should continue to comply with health and safety protocols despite the improving situation.
