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The latest lockdown on the capital and its satellite cities is the third round of harsh restrictions since the pandemic began
More than 24 million people in the Philippines have been plunged into a new, harsh lockdown as Covid-19’s aggressive delta variant runs rampant across the Southeast Asian nation.
The latest lockdown imposed on the capital, Manila, and it’s satellite cities until August 20 is the third round of harsh restrictions since the start of the pandemic and will compound the already desperate economic struggles of daily wage labourers.
It restricts many people from leaving their homes and bans travel between cities for much of the population, and was imposed after cases began to rise in July after falling from a peak in April.
Health officials have warned that the end of the pandemic is far from sight as the variant has now taken hold in 13 out of 17 regions. To date, an estimated 10.45 percent of the 109-million-strong population has been vaccinated as the Philippines, like much of Asia, fights to secure enough shots.
On Monday, another 8,900 new infections were reported, pushing the total tally of active cases to 78,480, and marking the fifth straight day of more than 8,000 new cases. On Sunday, 287 deaths were reported, which was the highest daily increase in four months.
In a statement on Monday, the department of health noted the highest increase in cases in July had been observed among the 30-39 age group and lowest among those over 80 years old.
The statement was made to assuage fears over reports of an increase in cases among children – although health officials, including Francisco Duque III, the health secretary, have confirmed they are considering the possibility of vaccinating minors aged 17 and younger when supplies permit.
On Sunday, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that more children were being admitted to the Philippine General Hospital, quoting its spokesman Jonas del Rosario.
Mr del Rosario said there were three critical cases – two of whom had comorbidities and one who had developed multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in childhood (MIS-C), a complication of Covid-19 infection that results in the swelling of some of the body’s organs.
MIS-C is a rare inflammatory condition among children with Covid-19, appearing among individuals 19 years old and below who experience fever for more than three days, according to the World Health Organisation.
In an earlier interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo, Mr del Rosario said there had been an increase in the admissions and “complicated cases” to PGH’s eight-bed pediatric Covid-19 ward, adding that the young patients were now getting sicker.
