PH still Alert Level 2 until Jan. 15, NCR reproduction at ’critical’ rate
The Philippines logged 1,623 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to 2,841,260, with an increasing positivity rate during the last few days, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.
The nationwide positivity rate went up again, this time from 4.5 percent to 6.6 percent, based on test results of samples from 30,933 people on Dec. 28.
This was the highest positivity rate since Oct. 31 and above the World Health Organization (WHO) target of under 5 percent.
The independent OCTA Research Group said the reproduction number in the National Capital Region (NCR) was spiking to a critical rate of 1.47, putting Metro Manila at moderate risk for COVID-19.
The new cases figure is nearly double the daily tally on Wednesday, as authorities continued to monitor the pandemic amid the threat of the Omicron variant.
The day’s tally was the highest since Nov. 21, when the country confirmed 2,227 cases, data showed. On Wednesday, the Health Department reported 889 infections.
The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were National Capital Region (NCR) (1,063 or 67 percent), Region 4-A or Calabarzon (173 or 11 percent) and Region 3 or Central Luzon (101 or 6 percent).
There were 133 new fatalities on Thursday, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 51,373.
The DOH also reported 256 new recoveries, bringing the total recoveries to 2,778,115.
There were 11,772 active cases, of which 577 were asymptomatic; 5,737 mild; 3,315 moderate; 1,771 severe; and 372 critical.
Nationwide, 20 percent of ICU beds, 23 percent of isolation beds, 11 percent of ward beds, and 11 percent of ventilators, were in use.
In Metro Manila, 24 percent of ICU beds, 21 percent of isolation beds, 19 percent of ward beds, and 15 percent of ventilators, were in use.
The DOH on Wednesday attributed the spike in fresh cases to the public’s holiday-related mobility, as well as their “reduced” compliance with minimum public health standards.
The agency had said it is so far unclear whether the Omicron variant is driving the surge in new cases. Authorities have so far detected 4 cases of the more transmissible variant.
The government said the whole country will remain under Alert Level 2 until mid-January, amid the rise in new COVID-19 cases.
Of its 109 million population, the Philippines has fully vaccinated at least 48.6 million, with days left to hit its year-end target of completing 54 million inoculations.
In its latest update, OCTA said the latest reproduction number—or the number of people one case can infect — in NCR was higher from the previous 0.51.
Overall, OCTA said the NCR was at “moderate risk” from Dec. 23 to 29, from “very low risk” from Dec. 16 to 22.
OCTA said the DOH reported 572 new COVID cases in NCR, 229 percent higher than the number the previous day.
The NCR’s seven-day
average in new daily cases increased to 215 (as of Dec. 23 to 29) from 79 (from Dec. 16 to 22), they said.The incidence or average daily attack rate (ADAR), or the number of new daily cases per 100,000 population, is still considered low to 1.52 from 0.56.
Meanwhile, the seven-day positivity rate increased to 3.86 percent , also considered low, from 0.69 percent the previous week.
Hospital utilization rate remained at a very low level, which increased slightly to 19 percent from 18 percent.
An increase in the number of hospital beds occupied was also seen at 8 percent compared to the previous week, while the number of ICUs occupied increased to 12 percent during the same period.
The average number of RT-PCR tests conducted was 14,119, which is lower than 17,595 tests during the previous week.
Local government units are ready to impose granular lockdowns following the uptick of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, an official of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) said Thursday.
Despite the uptick in cases, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) said all provinces, highly urbanized cities and independent component cities would remain under Alert Level 2 from Jan. 1 to Jan. 15, 2022, acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said Thursday.
Local authorities have so far detected four cases of the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant—all among international arrivals.
Meanwhile, the IATF released an updated country risk classification effective January 1, 2022 until January 15, 2022.
Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Spain shall be under the Red List.
Under the Green List are Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, China (Mainland), Côte d’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Fiji, The Gambia, Guinea, Hong Kong (Chinese Special Administrative Region), Indonesia, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Montserrat, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands), Saint Barthelemy, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Taiwan, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Uganda and United Arab Emirates.
All other countries, territories or jurisdictions not mentioned above shall be under the Yellow List.
The IATF also approved the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the acceptance and recognition for purposes of arrival quarantine protocols as well as for interzonal/intrazonal movement the national COVID-19 vaccination certificates of Armenia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Kuwait, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United States of America and Oman. This is in addition to such other countries whose proofs of vaccination the IATF already approved for recognition in the Philippines, and without prejudice to such other proofs of vaccination approved by the IATF for all inbound travelers.
After signing the P5.024 trillion budget for 2022, President Duterte said he was worried that the rising cases could further strain government resources.
Duterte said that while the 2022 national budget has allocated funds for COVID-19 response, no one could say how fast the Omicron variant would spread.
“We expect it since the pandemic is ongoing, but if there is rapid transmission, we will have the same problem again. It is not a matter of predicting how many will die, but preparing how many people will be affected,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Hospital utilization rates for COVID-19 cases have not yet changed even after the reported steep increase in infections over the Christmas holidays, the DOH said.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in an interview with Balitanghali, said the rise in the daily positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) to over 5 percent had yet to translate to an increase in utilization of hospitals.
However, Vergeire said that there were some hospitals that recorded a rise in patients saying they had COVID-19-related symptoms.
Based on the DOH’s Wednesday bulletin, 20 percent of 3,500 intensive care unit (ICU) beds for COVID-19 patients nationwide are in use.
Eleven percent of the 12,200 ward beds in the country are utilized, while 17 percent of the 3,700 ward beds in the NCR are in use.
While Vergeire said that this positivity rate rise was due to the increased mobility during the holiday season, she said it was important that their hospitals are not yet filling up.
An infectious disease expert, meanwhile, said people should get vaccinated despite initial studies showing that the Omicron variant of the virus can evade immunity from the shots.
Dr. Rontgene Solante, head of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit of the San Lazaro Hospital, said the unvaccinated become a “reservoir” for mutation because they do not have enough antibodies.
“Being in that body longer, they will be able to adapt by mutating so that they can be there in the body longer, and this is where mutations can occur,” Solante told ANC’s Headstart.
“This is where people that are not vaccinated, who are immunocompromised, will be the reservoir of these viruses. Chances are they will be the one source of this infection and at the same time, they can also be at high risk of getting the more severe infection,” Solante said.
Solante, also a member of the government’s vaccine expert panel, said in general, vaccines work and that’s why everyone who can get the jab should get it.