CAR, Davao Region’s community quarantine for Feb might escalate–Palace

MANILA, Philippines — The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Davao Region may possibly shift to stricter quarantine measures for the month of February, Malacañang said Thursday.

The Covid-19 bed utilization rate of CAR is “moderate risk” at 60 percent while Davao Region is nearing this level at 57 percent, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque explained in an online briefing.

“So you can imagine po, bagamat hindi pa natin isinasapubliko [ang quarantine classifications], ang CAR at ang Region 11 dahil halos nasa moderate risk na sila, candidates po yan for escalation ng community quarantine,” he said.

(Although we are not yet announcing the quarantine classifications, since CAR and Region 11 are almost at moderate risk, they are candidates for escalation of community quarantine.)

The entire CAR is under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) for the month of January while only Davao City and Davao Del Norte are under GCQ in the Davao Region.

Roque did not disclose if the two regions would be under GCQ or the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and ECQ.

The health care utilization rate refers to the number of intensive care units, isolation beds and ventilators currently in use in an area’s health and medical facilities.

The Department of Health classifies this as either critical, high risk, moderate, or safe.

Under the “critical” level, hospitals have already reached more than 85 percent of its bed occupancy for COVID-19 patients while hospitals are classified as “high risk” if 70 percent, but not more than 85 percent of its COVID-19 beds are occupied.

Hospitals with a COVID-19 bed capacity of from 60 to 70 percent rate are classified as “moderate” while hospitals fall under the “safe” level if bed utilization rate is less than 60 percent.

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