MANILA (UPDATE) — The Department of Health projects that the new wave of rising COVID-19 cases in the country will peak by the end of the month, its spokesperson said Wednesday.

The health agency assumes that the transmission of the omicron variant has reached local communities, Health Undersecretary and spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

"We are projecting that baka po itong omicron variant na ito, dahil we are assuming that is in our communities already, magpapatuloy po ang pagtaas ng kaso at baka po mag-peak po ang mga kaso by end of the month," she told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

(We are projecting that because of this omicron variant, because we are assuming that is in our communities already, cases will continue to rise and might reach its peak by end of the month.)

"Ang projections po natin, 'pag nakikita natin sa araw-araw na datos natin, nakikita ho natin nagdodoble ang numero ng kaso sa pang-araw-araw natin."

(Our projections show that the number of cases will continue to double everyday.)

Vergeire urged the public not to ignore COVID-19 symptoms as it is also the peak of the flu season.

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"Paalala sa ating mga kababayan, ’wag natin ipagsasawalang-bahala ang mga sintomas natin ngayon. Ang flu po, kagaya ng COVID-19, ay halos pareho ang sintomas," she said.

(The public is reminded not to shrug off symptoms. The flu and COVID-19 have almost the same symptoms.)

"Immediately isolate ’pag nakaranas ng ganitong sintomas. Magpa-test po tayo."

(Immediately isolate when you experience symptoms and get tested for COVID-19.)

COVID-19 patients may self-isolate in their homes for 10 days and take an RT-PCR test after three days without symptoms, Vergeire said.

Unvaccinated individuals who are close contacts of positive patients must isolate for 14 days, while those vaccinated must quarantine for seven to 10 days, she added.

"Lagi po nating tatandaan (Let us remember), more transmissions mean more mutations of the virus," Vergeire said.

Nearly 70 percent of new infections come from Metro Manila, according to Health Secretary Francisco Duque.

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The capital region is now under a critical risk classification for having a 2-week growth rate of 1,475 percent and an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 8.79 per 100,000 population, Duque said. It is followed by Calabarzon with a 557 percent 2-week growth rate, and Central Luzon with 330 percent 2-week growth rate, he added.

"Naka-limang meetings na kami with the NCR, Region 3, and Region 4-A para gabayan sila kung ano ang kanilang gagawin tungkol sa kanilang paghahanda o pagtugon sa COVID-19," he said during a virtual public briefing.

(We have met with NCR, Region 3, and Region 4-A officials five times to guide them on their COVID-19 response.)

Duque said the forecast of OCTA Research that the country might reach 10,000 daily cases might not be far off.

"Baka hindi lumayo d'yan. Pero siyempre, inaantay din natin ang Faster group. Sila kasi ang tinaguriang eksperto na ginagabayan ang DOH at IATF," he said.

(It might not be far off. But we are awaiting the projection of Faster group, the group of experts guiding the DOH and IATF.)

"Mamaya titingnan ko kung ano na ang kinalabasan ng kanilang projection sa meeting nila kahapon."

(I will check later what their projections are during the meeting yesterday.)

Metro Manila on Tuesday recorded 40 percent positivity rate and has a reproduction rate of 5, according to OCTA Research fellow Guido David.

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"So far, ang pinakabinabantayan natin, ay maganda pa namang numero ang healthcare utilization nasa 34 percent, malayo pa sa 70-percent critical threshold, pero tumataas naman siya," he said.

(So far we're monitoring healthcare utilization, which is currently at 34 percent, far from the 70-percent critical threshold, although it is rising.)

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