Philippines reverts to moderate risk status for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is now back to moderate risk status for COVID-19 from the previous high and critical risk classification, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

“The Philippines is now at moderate risk classification. Dati nasa high at critical risk tayo pero ngayon moderate na lang (We were previously at high and critical risk but we are now at moderate risk),” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press briefing.

“We show a negative one-week and two-week growth rate. Ang average daily attack rate natin ay nasa high risk pa rin pero bumaba siya sa 19.43 cases for every 100,000 individuals,” she added.

(The average daily attack rate was still at high risk but it decreased to 19.43 cases for every 100,000 individuals.)

Also, Vergeire said that utilization of hospital beds and intensive care units for coronavirus patients across the country are at low risk now.

“Tayo ay talagang nagmomove na towards a decline,” she noted.

(We are really moving towards a decline.)

According to the health official, hospital admissions and the number of individuals using rapid coronavirus test kits have also decreased.

She said that cases in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and other areas outside the NCR Plus are consistently going down. She noted that the rise in cases in the Visayas has likewise slowed down, but an increase in hospital bed utilization has been observed in Caraga and Soccsksargen.

“In Region 12 and Caraga, mayroon silang around 72 percent utilization of their beds for COVID so binabantayan natin maigi ito… Sa Visayas, may slow decline na sila ng mga numero ng kaso,” said Vergeire.

(Region 12 and Caraga have around 72 percent utilization of COVID beds so we are monitoring the situation there… In the Visayas, there is a slow decline in the number of cases.)

The DOH reported Tuesday that the Philippines currently has 176,053 active COVID-19 cases, including 9,493 new infections. This is the lowest since January 5, when additional coronavirus cases jumped to 10,775.

KGA