Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday said the increasing number of infected individuals in Cebu City is not considered a second wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“We do not consider the reason for the imposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as constituting the second wave. It is still part of the first wave. This is a pandemic wave as matter of fact,” Duque said during a virtual presser of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

He said the Covid-19 situation in the city is “a continuing sustained transmission”.

Duque said the “breach in case doubling time, critical care utilization rates and high positivity rate” are the parameters in assessing the medical response of a local government to individuals tested positive for coronavirus and “objectively served as basis in imposing ECQ here”.

The national government, he said, is confident that the city will be able to improve its case doubling time and consequently allowed to be downgraded to a lower risk classification status.

The Health chief, however, reminded local officials that downgrading their quarantine classification will depend on how the city is able to “address those parameters or indicators that they need to monitor”.

Duque also said the IATF-EID will “wholeheartedly address” the appeal of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to downgrade the risk classification of the province to modified general community quarantine (GCQ).

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said despite the reversion of Cebu City to ECQ from GCQ, there would be no third tranche of the social amelioration program assistance to the residents.

However, he said the Department of Social Welfare and Development will reinforce assistance from the local government units with family food packs. (PNA)