As central Visayas down to moderate risk: Surge has peaked

CEBU, Philippines —  From critical and high risk classifications in the last few weeks, Central Visayas is now relegated to moderate risk, according to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

As this developed, a local health official said the region has reached the peak of the ongoing surge of COVID-19 infections.

In his report to President Rodrigo Duterte during the latest Talk to the People, Duque said only four regions have remained under the high-risk classification, while the National Capital Region and 12 other regions, including Central Visayas, are at low to moderate risk.

During the fourth week of January 2022, Central Visayas was classified under the critical case classification following the surge of cases, but this was lowered to high risk the week after and is now under moderate case classification.

Central Visayas has 8,683 active cases with moving two-week growth in cases now at -15% covering the period of January 11-January 23 versus January 25 to February 7 as against 1,480% from December 28-January 10 versus January 11 to 24.

The region’s average daily attack rate has also decreased from 15.30 in January 11 to 24 to 13.06 from January 25 to February 7.

For the health system capacity, Central Visayas is on a safe level in terms of bed utilization, as of February 6. The figures are 49.24% for bed utilization, 26.05% for mechanical ventilators, and 44.59% for ICU utilization.

Peak reached

Department of Health-7 chief pathologist Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, in her latest daily briefer at the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center, said that capacity utilization for public hospitals alone is at 52.2%, which is under the safe level as well.

“Napapansin natin ano na nasa safe level na tayo,” said Loreche.

Loreche discussed several factors that may have contributed to the decrease in cases and the improvement in hospital care utilization.

“People are more aware, at saka nag-work na yung ating home quarantine at saka home isolation for those who do not need hospitalization… And also, the activation of the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities. So instead of going to the hospitals, they are at their homes or quarantine centers for isolation sa TTMFs,” she said.

Loreche also stressed that with vaccination, the Omicron variant has not been able to bring the cases to a severe level.

“The Omicron variant is not that severe in terms of the illness that has caused in the individual because our vaccination drive has already kicked off and it has proven, time and again, in this surge of cases that vaccines truly have save our lives and help us in surviving in this surge that we had most recently,” said Loreche.

According to Loreche, Cebu and the rest of the region have already reached the peak as far as the Omicron-driven fourth wave is concerned.

“Kung ako tatanungin kung nalagpasan na ba natin ang peak ng ating surge nitong disease, I would be able to say safely–yes! Siguro one to two weeks ago, dun na tayo yung pinakataas natin at ngayon ay pababa na at mababa na yung kaso natin,” said Loreche.

As usual, though, Loreche continued to remind everyone not to be complacent and to follow health protocols.

Cebu City, which has the most number of cases in the latest surge, has also been able to pull down its total active cases to 4,801. The cases are from 75 of the 80 barangays.

Aside from that, the city’s positivity rate has also improved to 13.84% with only 75 out of the 542 tested on February 7 turning out positive. – JMD (FREEMAN)