An outbreak of COVID-19, similar to the scenarios three years ago, is "unlikely" to happen amid the slight uptick in the number of cases, Health Secretary Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa said Tuesday.

"It's not like when 2020 we were all scared, doctors were dying, patients were dying, [and] emergency departments are full. The same situation, the cases are increasing but we're more knowledgeable," Herbosa said in a television interview.

"[We] know how to take care of ourselves. Seventy-four million Filipinos are vaccinated plus another five million that naturally recovered. I don't think there will be a huge outbreak that will stress the health system," he added.

Based on the Department of Health's latest case bulletin, the country recorded a total of 2,7925 new COVID-19 cases, almost double the 1,821 cases recorded last week.

With the additional cases, the daily average cases are now at 389, which is 50 percent higher than cases reported last week.

The department also reported 16 new severe and critical cases, as well as 16 deaths over the past week.

Meanwhile, 1,841 out of 10,045 non-intensive care unit cases were now occupied; 142 out of 1,101 ICU beds were occupied; and 211 were tagged as severe and critical admissions.

Despite the uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases, Herbosa said he does not see the need to buy a bulk of COVID-19 vaccines.

"We don't have to buy as much as before, even the last donation to us — the bivalent — it took months to consume," he said.

"It seems not many are interested anymore to get vaccinations, the fear and scare as much as it was, people have learned more about this illness," he added.

Walking pneumonia

Meanwhile, Herbosa said anti-pneumonia and flu vaccines will remain part of the government's immunization program for senior citizens.

"We have anti-pneumonia and flu vaccines for senior citizens but the government buys only for an estimated number of senior citizens," he said.

"We expect the rest of the population to buy that themselves through prescription from their physicians. The government cannot
afford to vaccinate everybody because that's a lot of money," he added.

The department previously confirmed four cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as "walking pneumonia".

It, however, clarified that the four cases which were reported in January, July, and September, have recovered.