MANILA (UPDATE) - Health Secretary Francisco Duque III is favoring an extension of the modified enhanced community quarantine in the National Capital Region Plus bubble, saying many hospitals remain under critical risk classification due to the influx of COVID-19 patients.

The NCR Plus, composed of the capital region, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal and Laguna, is under modified enhanced community quarantine until April 30 following a surge in virus cases.

The Department of Health will meet Tuesday with the subtechnical working group on data analytics to discuss the bubble's quarantine classification, according to Duque.

"Kung titingnan natin ang datos, tingin ko kinakailangan ipagpatuloy ang MECQ for another week or 2 dahil nga yung ating health systems capacity ay hindi masyadong nagiimprove pa sa ngayon," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(If we look at the data, I think we still need to continue MECQ for another week or 2 because our health systems capacity has yet to improve so far.)

"Patuloy pa rin na ilang siyudad ang may critical risk classification ang kanilang ICU (intensive care unit) capacity. Although may senyales na bumababa ang mga kaso sa Kamaynilaan, bumabagal ang bagong cases, may kataasan pa rin ang daily average cases natin for the last 2 weeks."

(Some cities' ICU capacity remains under critical risk classification. Although there are signs that cases have decreased in Metro Manila, that the transmission has slowed down, the daily average cases remain high for the last 2 weeks.)

Metro Manila mayors might come up with a recommendation on the region's quarantine classification later Monday, Marikina mayor Marcelino Teodoro said.

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The Philippines’ COVID-19 tally on Sunday neared 1 million as it confirmed 8,162 new cases of the disease, bringing the country’s total to 997,523.

The country is expected to breach the 1-million mark in terms of total COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to the ABS-CBN Data Analytics Group.

The DOH also reported 20,509 new recoveries, pushing the total number of Filipinos who recovered from the disease to 903,665.

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