DOH on PH inclusion to US CDC’s high travel risk list: We use different metrics 

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday explained that the United States Centers for Disease Control (US CDC) has different metrics compared to the one being used in the country on how it determines its risk classification.

“‘Yun pong indicators or ‘yung metrics na ginagamit ng CDC for them to classify a country as high risk or low risk or moderate risk is different from the metrics we use in our country,” said DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a media forum.

(The indicators or metrics used by CDC to classify a country as high risk, low risk, or moderate risk is different from the metrics we use in our country.)

“Sa CDC ang ginagamit po nila incidence rate triangulated with the testing data, dito sa ating bansa we know na ito pong number of cases ay hindi po natin binibigyan ng equal weight with our healthcare utilization,” she added.

(At the CDC, they use the incidence rate triangulated with the testing data, here in our country, we know that this number of cases is not given equal weight with our healthcare utilization..)

According to Vergeire, the Philippines has already aligned with other countries. So instead of the number of COVID-19 cases, what’s given value is the preservation of the healthcare system.

“Sa Pilipinas ang ating severe and critical infections remain to be at that low number less than 1,000 at atin pong mga naa-admit manageable at nappreserve pa rin natin ang ating healthcare capacity,” she explained.

(In the Philippines, our severe and critical infections remain at less than 1,000, our admitted ones are manageable, and we still preserve our healthcare capacity.)

This came after the US CDC earlier placed the Philippines again in its “high” travel risk list, amid the current surge of COVID-19 infections.

As of August 15, the country has so far recorded a total COVID-19 caseload of 3,835,422, with 38,982 active infections, 3,735,362 recoveries and 61,078 deaths.

Daily average recorded infections were also reported to be at 4,001, with total severe and critical cases at 822, as of August 14.

Meanwhile, the DOH last pegged the national COVID-19 positivity rate at 18.6 percent and continued to place the country under “low-risk classification.”

Metro Manila, on the other hand, continues to be at moderate risk, but independent pandemic monitor Octa research earlier noted that the region is already showing a downward trend in its positivity rate.

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