MANILA, Philippines — Steps taken by the government including the strict lockdown measures helped prevent at least 1.3 to 3.5 million coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENTIn a pre-State of the Nation Address forum, Dominguez called the pandemic a “black swan event,” which he said the government faced head-on. “According to the epidemiological models by FASSSTER Project in April and the University of the Philippines COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team as of June 27, government interventions such as the lockdown helped prevented as much as 1.3 to 3.5 million infections,” Dominguez said. Dominguez noted that imposing ECQ “not only slowed the virus spread” but also gave the country ample time to expand its testing capacity. Read NextEDITORS' PICKMOST READ

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 08, 2020 05:16 UTC