DOH: Metro Manila at moderate risk for COVID-19, but hospital utilization remains low

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila is now deemed “moderate risk” for COVID-19 following an increase in the number of infections, the Department of Health said Friday.

The risk level in 11 of the capital region’s 17 local government units is moderate, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, health officer-in-charge, said in a briefing.

Vergeire reported that the positivity rate in Metro Manila rose to 16.4%. The positivity rate — or the percentage of infected people out of all tested — should remain below 5% to ensure the spread of the virus is under control.

Despite the increase in cases, the hospital utilization rate in the region remains at low risk. Only 39% of ward beds and 33% of intensive care unit beds have been utilized.

Vergeire stressed the recent rise in cases cannot be attributed to the easing of face mask rules outdoors for now.

“It would take us around one to two weeks to analyze the effects of the optional masking outdoors,” the health official said.

“What we can say is that mobility has increased since the face-to-face classes started. So we’re looking at its link with the increase in cases because we don’t see this rise in other regions,” she added.

Schools in the Philippines returned to in-person classes in August after two years of distance learning due to the pandemic.

Authorities have been urging the public to continue observing public health safeguards such as masking, and to get booster shots for additional layer of protection.

More than 72.8 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. However, only 18.7 million people have received boosters.