CAR at moderate risk for COVID-19, says DOH

MANILA, Philippines — The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is now under moderate COVID-19 risk classification, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

It earlier reported that only Metro Manila is under a moderate risk classification, but in a media forum on Friday, DOH officer-in-charge and undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said CAR has similarly been placed at moderate risk after it recorded an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 6.10.

READ: Metro Manila COVID positivity rate jumps to 15%, several others over 20% — Octa

“Ang mga natitirang rehiyon ay nananatiling nasa low risk case classification ngunit nalalapit na rin ang Region IV-A sa moderate risk ADAR threshold at 4.8 cases per 100,000 population,” she noted.

(The remaining regions remain at a low-risk classification, but Region IV-A is nearing the moderate risk ADAR threshold with 4.8 cases per 100,000 population.)

On the other hand, the country remains under a low-risk classification with an ADAR of 3.13, but Vergeire noted the rise in new COVID-19 infections nationwide.

“All areas are still at a continuous uptrend with the rest of Luzon…increasing with the fastest rate, reporting more than 1,000 cases per day in the recent few days. Samantala, ang Plus Areas…at ang Mindanao…ay nagpapakita naman na nag-pla-plateu with less than 800 cases per day nitong mga nakaraang araw (Meanwhile, additional cases in Plus Areas and Mindanao have plateaued with less than 800 cases per day),” she explained.

Vergeire said 25,967 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the country from July 29 to August 4, with an average of 3,710 additional daily infections.

“Mas mataas ito ng 16 percent mula noong nakaraang linggo at tinatayang halos nasa same level ng cases noong second week of February this year,” she added.

(This is higher by 16 percent compared to the previous week, and it’s about the same level of new cases during the second week of February this year.)

The national positivity rate also rose from 15.2 percent last week to 18 percent this week, according to Vergeire.

The DOH on Thursday recorded 4,439 additional COVID-19 infections, the first time the number of infections has breached the 4,000-mark since February.

READ: DOH records 4,575 new COVID-19 cases, but active cases further dip