The Philippines had been classified as a low-risk area for COVID-19, according to DOH.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday said that the Philippines had been classified as a low-risk area for COVID-19 after the national case growth rate and average daily attack rate (ADAR) decreased.
In an online forum, DOH Epidemiology Bureau director Dr. Alethea De Guzman said that the risk classification nationally was already at low risk because the country has a negative two-week growth rate and they saw that the ADAR was at moderate risk.
“Dahil negative ang ating two-week growth rate at nakikita naman natin ang ating ADAR ay naka-moderate risk na at 5.42, the risk classification nationally is already at low risk,” De Guzman said.
DOH data showed that the country’s case growth rate fell to -9% during June 13 to 26 from 15% on May 30 to June 12.
GMA News Online reported that the national utilization rates of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) beds were also in the safe zone at 46.51% and 55.24%, respectively.
The Philippines averaged 5,772 new cases daily from June 24 to 30, only slightly higher than its average of 5,638 daily new coronavirus infections from June 17 to 23.
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The Department of Health flagged four regions as high-risk areas over their high ADAR and healthcare utilization rate while the national COVID-19 figures have improved.
De Guzman also said that cases were plateauing in NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, and Rizal), slowly declining in Mindanao, and slightly increasing in the rest of Luzon and the Visayas.
Moreover, the health official underscored that the decline in coronavirus cases was “thin” or “very slow”, especially in Metro Manila.
“Ngayon, the challenge is while we open up our economy, we have these safeguards. Kung ma-me-maintain natin ang ginagawa natin ngayon… tuloy tuloy po at baka mas mabilis pa na pagbaba ng kaso ang makita natin,” De Guzman said.
De Guzman also encouraged local governments to use this time to “ensure that our strategies are in place, our health system can take on whatever surge this Delta variant can potentially bring to the Philippines”.
The Philippines had detected 17 cases of the Delta COVID-19 variant first discovered in India as of June 17, 2021.
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