Dumaguete, Lubang at ‘critical risk’ for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental and Lubang town in Occidental Mindoro are at “critical risk” for COVID-19 due to an increase in new cases in the past week, according to the OCTA Research Group.

In its latest report, OCTA said an outbreak in Lubang pushed average daily new cases to 58 from Oct. 21 to 27.

The group said it was a significant increase from four daily new cases in the preceding week.

The spike placed the town’s average daily attack rate, reproduction number and positivity rate at critical levels.

Dumaguete recorded an average of 36 daily new cases during the same period, up 38 percent from the preceding week.

Intensive care unit utilization in the city is currently at a critical 95 percent. Hospital bed capacity is high at 83 percent.

OCTA said Zamboanga City and La Trinidad in Benguet, which are not seeing a drop in new cases, as well as San Mateo in Isabela are at high risk.

Among local government units outside Metro Manila with the highest number of new cases, Baguio City, Bacolod, Tuguegarao, Solano in Nueva Vizcaya and Cainta in Rizal were at moderate risk for infections.

Davao City, Antipolo in Rizal, Iloilo City and Bacoor in Cavite were classified as low risk.

OCTA said its classification is independent and does not reflect the alert level ratings used by the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.