Country gaining upper hand in COVID-19 fight, says health chief
The country is gaining momentum in the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the Philippines is put at low risk with the drop in the two-week growth rate of COVID-19 infections last week, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday.
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Health Secretary Francisco Duque III listens
as President Rodrigo Roa Duterte presides over a meeting with the Inter-Agency
Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the
Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City on May 10, 2021. JOEY
DALUMPINES/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Reporting to President Rodrigo Duterte during a meeting in Davao City, Duque said the country has recorded a -22 percent two-week growth rate at 6.85 of the average daily attack rate per 100,000 population.
The
National Capital Region (NCR) is at moderate risk with a -39 percent in
two-week growth rate in the average daily attack rate per 100,000 population,
dropping to 19.02 from a high of 30.98, he noted.
Despite
the improving overall condition, Duque said there is no room for complacency
because there are areas with positive two-week growth rates, which include
Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula,
Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and Caraga.
Also,
there are five regions with high average daily attack rate namely NCR,
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Cagayan Valley Region, Calabarzon, and
Central Luzon.
COVID-19
cases have been decreasing in the NCR, Duque said. He reported that from 48
percent, total cases from the NCR dropped to 31 percent.
The
healthcare utilization rate nationwide is also improving, according to the
health chief. He reported that from 4.7 percentage points recorded last week,
the healthcare utilization rate dropped to 7 percentage points from a peak
reported last April 13.
“Tingnan
po natin ‘yong isolation beds. Noong nag-peak po tayo, 51 percent po ang gamit
ng ating mga isolation beds,” Duque told the President.
“Ngayon,
nasa 43 percent. So bumaba po sa makatuwid ng walong porsyento. At ang ating
COVID-19 ward beds, from a peak of 57 percent utilization rate, bumaba po ito
to 49 percent. So ganoon din po bumaba ng walong porsyento.
Highlighting
the importance of ICU beds, Duque said that from a 68 percent peak utilization
rate, the country has recorded 61 percent decline, improving by 7 percent
points. On the use of mechanical ventilators, it dropped to 40 percent from 48
percent.
The
healthcare utilization rate in the NCR has also seen a decline, dropping 17
percent compared with the peak day estimate, the health secretary said.
“At
sa kabila nito, nananatiling nasa critical at high risk ang ICU utilization
rate ng ilang lokalidad sa NCR. Kaya naman po aming hinihikayat ang mga NCR
hospitals sa tulong ng One COVID Referral Center na panatilihin ang kasalukuyang
healthcare capacities lalo na po ang ICU capacities upang manatili tayong handa
sa mga surge na maaaring mangyari muli,” he noted.
Duque
also provided an update on the ongoing vaccine rollout. He said that the
country received 1.5 million doses from China’s Sinovac, two million doses of
AstraZeneca jab from the COVAX facility, and 15,000 doses from Russia’s
Gamaleya Research Institute.
With
the recent deliveries, the country now has a total of 7.5 million vaccine
doses. PND
