By Ma. Teresa Montemayor/Philippine News Agency
A health official on Monday said the National Capital Region (NCR) shows a slow downward trend with its reported COVID-19 infections at a 28-percent decrease from the past week.
“In the NCR, the seven-day moving average showed a decrease as cases in the recent seven days have decreased compared to the previous seven days by 1,199,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during an online media forum.
For the period of September 27 to October 3, the average daily reported cases in the NCR is 3,121.
Previously, its average daily reported cases for the week of September 20 to 26 is 4,320.
“Cases [nationally] saw a steep increase starting the last week of July, the latest peak was during the second week of September with daily average cases twice as much as the daily average during the peak we saw during March of this year,” Vergeire said.
For the period of September 27 to October 3, the average daily reported cases nationwide are 14,705 — 3,060 cases lower than the 17,765 reported infections for the period of September 20 to 26.
As of October 3, the top five regions with the most number of cases are the NCR, Calabarzon, Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Region and Central Luzon.
Meantime, the top five areas with the most number of cases are Quezon City, Isabela, Rizal, Cavite, and Bulacan.
Vergeire noted that the country is under moderate risk case classification with a 21-percent two-week growth rate and a high-risk daily attack rate of 14.73 cases for every 100,000 individuals which is lower than the 18.60 growth rate from the previous two to three weeks.
“Most regions are showing negative two-week growth rates including the NCR, Regions 4 and 3. However, the majority remain with high risk daily average attack rates, and we’re flagging CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region), Regions 2, 1, 4B, 9, and 5 with high-risk case classification, based on its positive, moderate risk two-week growth rate and high risk daily average attack rate,” she said.
She added that the national intensive care unit (ICU) utilization is at high risk with 73 percent while six regions have ICU utilization and hospital bed utilization also at high risk – CAR, Cagayan Valley, Zamboanga Peninsula, Bicol, Caraga and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
As for COVID-19 deaths, the Department of Health observed a new peak nationwide in mid-August with a total of 4,962 fatalities reported and 160 deaths per day on average.
There were a total of 42 deaths or an average of 14 deaths per day reported for the period of October 1 to 3. (PNA)-rir
