Public urged to focus on protection amid rising positivity rate

FILE: People still wearing face masks while walking in the pedestrian lane along the intersection of Taft Avenue and Pedro Gil Street in Manila City on Wednesday (Sept. 14, 2022). (PNA photo by Alfred Frias)

MANILA – The Department of Health on Thursday advised the public to focus more on layers of protection such as vaccination amid the rise in Covid-19 cases.

This, after the OCTA Research Group reported that the positivity rate or the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in the National Capital Region (NCR) increased to 19.7 percent as of May 2.

“The positivity rate is not the sole criterion in monitoring our Covid-19 situation. There are many factors or measures to consider as to an area’s increase in COVID-19 cases,” the DOH said in a Viber message to reporters.

“This means metrics such as transmission rate, contact rate, and longer durations of infectiousness are not sole drivers of transmission and increases in cases,” it added.

The DOH also emphasized that the public must keep an eye on the healthcare utilization rates and monitor the situation in our admissions in the hospitals.

As of April 30, only 3,157 or 18.1 percent of 17,480 non-intensive care unit (ICU) beds are utilized. Meanwhile, only 303 or 15 percent of 2,021 ICU beds were utilized.

On Tuesday, DOH officer in charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the positivity rate should not be the sole basis of the country’s Covid-19 situation.

The positivity rate is expected to increase because the individuals tested are those most likely to be positive as the shift in testing protocols to focus more on symptomatic individuals, she said.

She also urged the public to get vaccinated, receive their booster shots against Covid-19 and wear face masks.