Despite hike in new Covid cases, PH remain at low risk

Despite a notable hike in new Covid-19 infections, the country remains at a low risk classification under the pandemic.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said 3,198 new cases have been logged from June 14 to 20 nationwide. The  daily attack rate is less than one per 100,000 population.

We’re at 456 per day in the recent week, as high as the reported cases during the second week of February which was 466 cases per day from February 10 to 16, 2022,” Vergeire told an online media forum.

The National Capital Region maintains a sharp increase in reported cases as infections continue to rise in the area since mid-May with more than 200 cases per day in the recent week.

A similar hike in cases is also seen in the NCR plus areas, the rest of Luzon, and the Visayas but the count remains less than 80 infections per day. In Mindanao, infections are on a plateau and cases are low despite small increases with less than 40 cases per day.

“With these, the national positivity rate has increased to 3.1 percent similar to rates in the first March of this year,” Vergeire said, noting more than half of the hospital admissions are mild cases and asymptomatic, making hospital utilization rate remain at low risk.

There are only 554 severe and critical cases admitted to hospitals as of June 19. An increase in the severe and critical cases in the recent few days was seen but it remains less than one percent of the 5,413 total hospital admissions.

The country’s healthcare utilization rate remains low risk between 14.61 percent and 17.82 percent utilization.