PH Covid-19 risk classification downgraded to moderate

MANILA – The country’s risk classification for Covid-19 is down to moderate on Monday as the two-week growth rate of infections nationwide has gone negative.

The average daily reported cases nationwide for the week Sept. 20 to 26 decreased to 17,783 from 19,949 the previous week.

“We’re at negative 4 percent in the recent one to two weeks, much lower than the 27 percent we reported the week prior,” Department of Health Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea de Guzman said during a televised Palace briefing.

Bed utilization for Covid-19 patients remained at moderate risk at under 68 percent while intensive care unit utilization (ICU) rate is high risk at under 76 percent.

Three regions logged negative two-week growth rates – National Capital Region (NCR) -13 percent; Calabarzon, -18 percent; and Region 3 (Central Luzon), - 13 percent.

The ICU utilization rate of Calabarzon and Region 3 is still at high-risk classification while that of NCR is moderate risk.

NCR’s bed utilization rate is lower at 63 percent as against the 68 percent reported a few days ago.

ICU utilization rate remains a high-risk 76 percent, slightly lower than the 78 percent a few weeks ago.

“Kung ito pong mga numerong ito ng NCR ang ating pagbabasehan, tayo po ay posibleng manatili pa sa Alert Level 4, subalit mga metrics natin at ang ating mga numero ay tuluy-tuloy po nating pag-aaralan at napakahalaga na mayroon tayong tama at accurate na datos para makapagbigay din po tayo ng tama pong rekomendasyon (If we’ll consider these numbers for NCR, we’re most likely to remain under Alert Level 4, but we continue to study our numbers and metrics in order to provide correct recommendation),” De Guzman said.

NCR showed a sudden downtrend with reported cases decreasing by 16 percent from the previous week.

The average daily reported infections in the NCR for Sept. 20 to 26 is 4,347, which is 798 cases lower than the previous week’s 5,145.

As for NCR’s reproduction number, it went down to less than one at 0.895 on September 13.

Reproduction number is the number of individuals a Covid-19 case can infect.

“Dapat tuluy-tuloy o ma-sustain po iyong mababang numero na ito. Kasi kapag one pa rin iyan or more than one, ibig sabihin, tuluy-tuloy pa rin po iyong transmission natin (we must sustain this low number. If this is one or more than one, this means the transmission continues),” De Guzman said. (PNA)