Low positivity rate now maintained for a week

A minor is getting her shot against COVID-19 during the pediatric vaccination organized by the Department of Health and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority at a mall inside the Subic Bay Freeport. (Photo courtesy of SBMA).

MANILA, Philippines — It has been a week now since Nov. 13 that the positivity rate in the country’s COVID-19 tally has been well below 5 percent, the threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO) to indicate that coronavirus transmission is under control.

Friday’s case bulletin by the Department of Health (DOH) showed that of the 43,039 individuals who were tested on Wednesday, 3.5 percent, or 1,506, were found positive for COVID-19.

The positivity rate fell to 4.3 percent on Nov. 10, the first time in nearly 10 months after it was last recorded at 4.86 percent on Jan. 31.

If this pattern holds in the next seven days, the government is expected to declare that coronavirus transmission in the country has been contained.

Also on Friday, the DOH reported 1,485 new cases.

With the exception of five days—Nov. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10—the daily case count has been below 2,000 this month.

The new infections brought national tally to 2,823,210 since the pandemic began last year.

Of the 23,200 currently active cases, 59.6 percent were mild, 3.8 percent were asymptomatic, 19.56 percent were moderate, 12 percent were severe and 5.1 percent were critical.

The DOH reported 1,393 new recoveries, bringing the total survivors to 2,753,312.

But 277 more patients have succumbed to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 46,698.