AN infectious diseas expert is not discounting the possibility that the number of COVID-19 cases may increase in the next two weeks after Monday’s national and local elections.
This is despite the 37-percent decline in the number of cases registered compared to the period when the Omicron variant entered the country.
During the Laging Handa public briefing, Dr. Rontgene Solante said they expect the number of COVID-19 cases to rise because of the many super spreader events in the country, including the just concluded campaign period, the political rallies and on election day itself.
In fact, they already see patients who were tested positive of COVID-19 and are showing mild symptoms.
It is possible that they got the virus when they tried to vote where they waited among the long lines of voters, engaged in talk and most probably even removed their face masks while queueing that can possibly spread the virus, or probably got the virus while voting in a polling precint that doesn’t have good ventilation.
According to Solante, if the incubation period of the infection is to be looked at, the average incubation is about three to five days, that’s why it is possible that this will reflect the following week.
But if no increase in COVID-19 cases happens in the next 14 days after the elections, Solante said this would mean that the amount of protection against COVID-19 is still high.
What they fear most, though, is if the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 manages to enter the country, which is seen as the reason for the increase in cases in South Africa, even in the United States.