AN infectious diseases expert on Monday said Covid-19 cases have started to rise as positivity rates recorded in some areas are now above 10 percent.
In a televised public briefing Monday, Dr. Rontgene Solante said this is higher than the 5 percent threshold recommended by the World
Health Organization. Positivity rate is the percentage of Covid-19 tests performed which turned out positive in a certain area or region.
“Yes, I think, this is starting now, ‘yung positivity rate natin, ‘yung mga newly infectedm individuals based on that positivity rate ay nagumpisa nang tumaas (our positivity rate, the newly infected individuals, based on the positivity rate, are increasing),” he said. “We’re above the 10 percent now especially in the National Capital Region (NCR) and we would expect this uptick of the cases to be a bit in the next
three to four weeks, maybe.”
As of July 9, the OCTA Research Group said NCR’s positivity rate increased from 8.3 percent to 10.9 percent.
It added that positivity rates were over 10 percent in Aklan at 26.9 percent; Antique, 17.8 percent; Batangas, 11.3 percent; Capiz, 18.8 percent; Cavite, 14.9 percent; Iloilo, 11 percent; Isabela, 10.3 percent; Laguna, 18.2 percent; Nueva Ecija, 14 percent; Pampanga, 16.5
percent; Rizal, 16.6 percent; and Tarlac, 16.7 percent.
“Mataas ang hawaan nitong mga bagong variants na nakikita rin sa (The infections brought about by the new variants are high as also seen in
the) Philippine Genome Center Surveillance like the BA.5 and the BA.4,” Solante said.
Meanwhile, OCTA Research Group fellow Dr. Guido David said growth rates are also rising in some areas like the NCR, Region 4-A
(Calabarzon), Central Luzon and Western Visayas.
“’Yung sa NCR, we’re not expecting na tataas pa ito ng masyadong mataas kasi bumababa na ang growth rate sa NCR. Nasa 31 percent na lang (We’re not expecting the growth rate in NCR to go up any higher because it has already gone down to only 31 percent,” he said. “So, hopefully, malapit na ‘yung peak ng cases sa NCR, pero hindi pa natin masasabi ‘yan sa ibang regions sa Pilipinas (the peak of cases in NCR is already near but we can’t say that for other parts of the Philippines).”
David noted that the healthcare utilization ratem (HCUR) in many areas being monitored nationwide remains below 50 percent which is
considered low risk.
The NCR’s HCUR is 28.4 percent; Aklan, 8.6 percent; Baguio City, 14.2 percent; Batangas, 35 percent; Bohol 63.6 percent; Cavite, 29.2
percent; Cebu City, 39.6 percent; Davao City, 26.3 percent; Guimaras, 44.6 percent; Iloilo 45.5 percent; Iloilo City, 40.1 percent; Laguna, 28.3 percent; Lucena, 44.2 percent; and Rizal 38.9 percent. (PNA)
