DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire talks with reporters via Zoom meeting in this file photo taken on April 23, 2020. INQUIRER.net file photo / Daphne Galvez
MANILA, Philippines — The decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases has slowed down in the past weeks, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.
“Our epidemic curve shows that while a swift decline followed the peak of cases, this decline has markedly slowed down over the past weeks,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press briefing.
According to Vergeire, the country reported an average of 534 new COVID-19 cases from March 10 to 16, which is 29 percent lower than 752 average new cases from March 3 to 9.
She noted that the 752 cases, in turn, were 37 percent lower than the 1,196 average new cases from February 24 to March 2.
Meanwhile, Vergeire also reported that the total bed utilization rate remains at low risk at 18 percent as of March 15, from the previous 52 percent on January 22.
The national utilization rate for intensive care units is now at 19 percent, from the previous 51 percent on January 22.
The country has 45,491 active cases of COVID-19 as of Friday, based on the DOH tracker.
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