MANILA - A government scientist warned on Sunday that the recent surge in COVID-19 cases may be partly due to a mutation in the novel coronavirus which is making it at least 3 times more infectious.

After the DOH reported a record number of new confirmed infections of COVID-19, Dr. Edsel Salvana said “it is very clear our overall cases are ramping up” even if some of the new confirmed cases were backlogs.

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Salvana, who is a member of the Technical Advisory Group that advises the Department of Health, said that after the government lifted strict lockdown measures, the country got hit with “a double whammy” of more opportunities for COVID-19 to spread as well as “a more infectious virus.”

On his Facebook page, Salvana posted on Sunday that the virus is “about 3 to 9 times more than the previous virus.”

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Salvana, who is also a professor at UP-Philippine General Hospital, warned the public that “we must all be meticulous with our compliance or its back to ECQ and many people will die from the virus or starve.

“The important thing now is to protect our healthcare system so it doesn't get overwhelmed.”

Salvana advised people to continue to wear masks, practice physical distancing and hand washing, and stay home as much as possible.

He recommended that people only go out for essential activities especially if they live in general community quarantine zones or above.

“No time for fighting amongst ourselves. Man versus virus. We can do this if we all work together. Stay safe and let's take care of each other,” Salvana said.

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