The Philippines is now at “critical risk” for Covid-19 transmission, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday.
In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte, Duque said the country’s latest two-week growth rate, which covered post-Christmas and New Year celebrations, was at a whopping 3,663 percent.
“Ang ating bansa ay kasalukuyang nasa critical risk case classification na may pagtaas na 690
percent sa atin pong seven-day moving average of daily reported cases,” Duque said.
Duque said the regions of Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon were also at “critical risk.”
Meanwhile, eight regions are at “high risk”: the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Region, Western Visayas, Bicol Region, Central Visayas, Mimaropa and Davao Region.
Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are at “moderate risk,” while Zamboanga Peninsula is under “low risk.”
Duque said that the nationwide bed utilization rate was at 40 percent, while 38 percent of intensive care unit beds were occupied.
The Philippines has been recording new all-time highs in new Covid-19 cases and positivity rate over the past three days.
The Philippines recorded 33,169 new cases and a 46 percent positivity rate out of 73,234 tests administered on Monday. It has 157,526 active Covid-19 cases. John Ezekiel J. Hirro