DOH: Parañaque, Pasay at high risk for COVID-19

The cities of Parañaque and Pasay have been classified as high-risk areas for COVID-19 due to their increasing cases and high average daily attack rate (ADAR), the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

Data from DOH Epidemiology Bureau director Dr. Alethea De Guzman showed that only three cities in Metro Manila posted a positive case growth rate during May 30 to June 12: Parañaque (2%), Pasay (19%), and Malabon (30%).

Parañaque’s ADAR over the same period was high risk at 9.09 cases per 100,000 population, higher than the DOH threshold of seven cases per 100,000, while the city’s intensive care unit (ICU) utilization rate stood in the moderate risk category at 62.5%.

In Pasay, the utilization rates of hospital and ICU beds were both in the safe zone but the ADAR was in the high risk category at 8.65 cases per 100,000 population.

The ICU utilization rate also breached the high to critical risk classification in San Juan (100%), Makati (72.4%), Las Piñas (90%), and Muntinlupa (70.4%).

The DOH also said 11 of the 17 cities in Metro Manila showed a high-risk ADAR. Only the ADAR of Malabon, Quezon City, Manila, Caloocan, Marikina, and Navotas were in the moderate risk category.

“Ito’y senyales na kailangang dagdagan ang ating detection, testing, at i-review kung gaano ka-efficient ang contact tracing at isolation natin,” De Guzman said.

(This is a sign that we need to strengthen our detection, testing, and review how efficient our contact tracing and isolation efforts are.)

Despite the high ADAR recorded in most cities, De Guzman said the entire capital region was still classified as moderate risk.

Metro Manila averaged 833 new cases daily from June 7 to 13, lower than the average of 997 new infections from May 31 to June 6.

The Philippines has 1,322,053 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, 516,745 of which are in Metro Manila.—AOL, GMA News