Extended

(Part of an ongoing account started on March 13, 2020 of how the spread of COVID-19 in our country and our government’s response has affected our lives.)

It's official. The Luzon lockdown is extended until 11:59 p.m. of April 30, 2020. 

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesperson for the Inter-Agency Task Force for the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), says they need more time:

• to measure the full effect of the enhanced community quarantine implemented since March 15, 2020; and
• to increase the capacity of Luzon and the rest of the country to respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

He clarifies that in terms of our capacity to respond to COVID-19, the following factors must be present:

• testing capacity should be 8,000 to 10,000 tests a day;
• 24-hour turnaround time for test results;
• immediate isolation of persons under investigation (PUI) and COVID-19 patients; 
• intensive contact tracing; 
• significant decrease of COVID-19 cases; and
• self-screening protocols

If all these are present, the Philippines may push the peak as far as the year 2021 and by then, somebody will have developed a vaccine. Or not.

That's the game plan.

I've got nothing. I'm tired. Good night.

DoH update: As of 4 p.m. of April 7, 2020, the Philippines has reported 3,764 confirmed corona virus cases, including 84 recoveries and 177 deaths.