Latest Department of Health (DOH) data showed the increase of COVID-19 cases has slowed down, but the country remains under high risk classification.
DOH USec. Maria Rosario Vergeire said the nationwide two-week growth rate (2WGR) of cases declined to 32% from 72%. A reduction in 2WGR was also recorded in National Capital Region, Regions 4A, 3, 10, 1, and 7.
However, 11 regions in the country are under high risk case classification, while six regions have high risk utilization in terms of beds and nine regions have high risk classification in terms of intensive care unit (ICU) utilization.
“We would like to flag the NCR, [regions] 4A, 2, Cordillera Administrative Region, 3, 10, 11, CARAGA, 6, and 12 with high risk classification based on 2 week growth rate and high risk daily attack rate,” Vergeire said in the Sept. 6 DOH briefing.
The healthcare system of the country also remains under high risk classification. DOH records show that 95% of provinces, highly urbanized and independent component cities remain under alert levels 3 and 4.
Alert level 4 means an area has been classified as moderate to critical risk and has a healthcare utilization higher than 70%, while alert level 3 means the COVID-19 case count is high and increasing, and bed utilization is over 50%.
All cities and municipalities except Manila are under Alert Level 4. Vergeire said the regional health system capacity is “at high risk with ICU utilization at 74%,” and sixteen areas have high risk health systems capacity ranging from 70% to full utilization.
Meanwhile, the national average daily reported cases from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5 was 18,292, which was higher than the 16,513 record from Aug. 23 to 29.
The DOH said cases may increase in the coming weeks due to the highly transmissible Delta variant. As of Sept. 6, the country has detected 2,068 Delta variant cases in all regions of the country.
The daily average recorded deaths in August also rose to 131, or close to the average toll of 135 during the surge last April. The daily average death toll for the first five days of September was at 40.
The DOH said it is closely monitoring the COVID-19 fatalities in Region 3, 7, NCR, 4A, CARAGA, 12, 1, and 10 due to the increasing trend since August. – Report from Kenneth Paciente/AG-rir
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