Nearly half or 598 out of 1,232 hospitals nationwide had no reported new COVID-19 admissions from Dec. 5 to 9, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed.
In the National Capital Region (NCR), 39.2% or 62 out of 158 hospitals also had no new admissions of COVID-19 patients during the same period.
DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said there has also been a decline in the number of calls received by the One Hospital Command Center (OHCC) since the last week of September.
“Pag-apak po mga December 3, bumaba na po kami sa mga 76 to 86 calls per day,” Vega said in the Dec. 10 Laging Handa briefing.
“Mapapansin natin na talagang bumababa na ‘yung One Hospital Command transaction calls. Tsaka alam nating ‘yung new cases of COVID-19 ay talagang nagde-decrease,” he added.
Metro Manila is currently at minimal risk category for COVID-19, with a daily case average of 106 which is less than the lowest case count recorded after the peaks recorded in August 2020 and April 2021.
National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 medical adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa has attributed the development to the region’s herd immunity threshold achievement after inoculating over 90% of its target population with complete doses and over 100% with first dose.
“Talagang dapat tayo habang nasa mababang numero ng mga kaso, paigtingin natin yung pagbabakuna. In fact, nagpapasalamat ako kay Omicron kasi maraming natakot sa kanya,” he said.
Meanwhile, authorities have already located five of the seven missing overseas Filipinos who returned to the country from South Africa, leaving only two of them unaccounted for.
Two of the five are in facility-based quarantines, two are under home quarantine, and one has been discharged after completing a 14-day quarantine.
The two travelers who have yet to be located have local addresses in Regions 4B and 10.
“We have been coordinating with the specific local government para makita na natin sila, makausap natin, ma-trace kung ano na po estado nila sa ngayon,” DOH USec. Maria Rosario Vergeire said. – Report from Mark Fetalco/AG-rir
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