DOH closely tracking 5 NCR areas with rising Covid cases

THE Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said they are closely monitoring five areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) with an increase in their oneweek and two-week growth rate.

In an online media forum, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, however, brushed aside worries by saying that the noted increase is still not “significant” to cause alarm.

“We have five areas that from minimal risk classification, they are now considered as low-risk classification [for Covid-19] .... Let me just contextualize ... just what Dr. Edsel [Salvana] has mentioned, we need to see the baseline number of these areas. For example there was only one case last week then it increased to one more case—that’s 100-percent increase,” Vergeire said.

These areas are Las Piñas, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Muntinlupa, and Makati.

Vergeire also said that even if there are spikes in cases in these areas, “It doesn’t translate to increasing admission in hospitals.”

She likewise noted that the average daily reported cases have decreased to 196 from April 26 to May. This is 9 percent lower compared to the 215 cases last week.

She noted that prior to those cases recorded during the Omicron wave, the number of cases is much lower now.

Overall, the national positivity rate is still at a slow decline at 1.2 percent from 1.3 percent from last week, Vergeire said.

“This is also the lowest we have recorded within a week starting in 2021, lower by 23 percent compared to before we had an Omicron situation,” Vergeire said.

Minimal risk

DESPITE the slight increase in some regions, the Health official said, the country is still at minimal risk classification for Covid-19.

Meanwhile, she said that Region 4B, Region 5 and Region 8 had a positive growth rate in the recent two weeks while a one-week positive growth rate was seen in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Region 2 and Region 7.

The DOH logged 1,399 cases from April 25 to May 1,2022, an average of 200 cases per day.

This is much lower by 5 percent compared to the cases from April 18 to April 24.