COVID-19 positivity rate in 7 provinces at ‘high levels’

MANILA, Philippines — The seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) has further decreased, but it increased to “high levels” in seven provinces in the country, the OCTA Research Group said yesterday.

In a tweet, OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said high-level increases in the positivity rate, or the percentage of people found positive for COVID-19 among the total number of individuals tested, were registered in Cagayan (from 7.7 percent to 13.6 percent), Iloilo (from 13.6 percent to 15.2 percent), Isabela (from 12.1 perfect to 20.7 percent), La Union (from 13.2 percent to 20.9 percent), Misamis Oriental (from 18.4 percent to 23.2 percent), Pangasinan (from 14.4 percent to 15.6 percent) and Tarlac (from 41.6 percent to 50.6 percent) last Oct. 22 from the previous record on Oct. 15.

David added that the seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate in the NCR went down to 12.3 percent on Oct. 22 from 14.9 percent on Oct. 15.

The Philippines recorded 1,585 new COVID-19 cases last Sunday, according to the Department of Health (DOH), bringing the country’s total to 3,994,634.

The active caseload went down to 23,369.

The DOH yesterday reported that over 11,000 additional COVID-19 cases were recorded in the country the past week.

The latest COVID-19 Bulletin issued by the DOH showed that 11,995 new cases were logged from Oct. 17 to 23.

The agency said the daily average number of new COVID-19 infections is 1,714 – 22 percent lower than the cases recorded from Oct. 10 to 16.

Four new patients in severe and critical conditions were reported, while 272 deaths were verified, 26 of which occurred from Oct. 10 to 23.

Last Sunday, the DOH recorded 650 severe and critical COVID-19 patients who sought admission in hospitals – nine percent of total COVID-19 admissions in the country.

Out of the 2,520 intensive care unit beds intended for COVID-19 patients, 581, or 23.1 percent, were occupied while 5,666 (26.4 percent) out of 21,474 non-ICU COVID-19 beds are being used.

The DOH also reported that as of Sept. 25, more than 73 million individuals or 94.09 percent of the target population have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The figure includes the additional 85,137 individuals who were vaccinated from Oct. 17 to 23.

More than 20 million individuals have received their booster shots, including 154,202 individuals who got their boosters in the same week.

The DOH likewise said 6.9 million senior citizens or 79.19 percent of the target A2 population were able to receive their primary vaccine series.

The agency is encouraging the public to continuously observe minimum public health standards.

DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that even though the optional masking outdoor policy is now in effect, the public, especially the elderly, those with comorbidities and the immunocompromised are highly encouraged to still wear face masks.

Vergeire added that to stay protected, children, especially when going to school, should also wear face masks.

The DOH encouraged the public to get vaccinated and boosted for additional protection.

eArrival Card

Meanwhile, Malacañang yesterday reminded travelers arriving in the Philippines to register using the Electronic Arrival Card (eArrival Card), which replaced the One Health Pass (OHP) entry requirement starting Nov. 1.

“To ensure ease of travel, incoming travelers and at the same time protect the public from COVID-19, the Marcos administration will now be implementing the use of Electronic Arrival Card (eArrival Card) scan-and-go system in the country’s airports,” the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said in a statement.

The Bureau of Quarantine requires all inbound travelers to have an e-Arrival Card within 72 hours before their departure from their country of origin.

“Arriving travelers should register for an e-Arrival Card prior to their departure via onehealthpass.com.ph or by scanning the QR code indicated in the poster released by the DOH,” the OPS said.

It added that the adoption of the eArrival Card would make entry to the Philippines more convenient for travelers as it removes unnecessary information fields present in the previous OHP system.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco earlier said the eArrival Card fulfills part of the Marcos administration’s objective to ease the country’s remaining stringent entry protocols to attract more travelers and boost the country’s tourism recovery.

Compared with the previous OHP system, the eArrival Card allows easier and faster completion of the traveler registration process, according to the Department of Tourism.

For instance, tourism-related fields were significantly cut by half, from 20 items under the OHP to now less than 10 items in the eArrival Card.

Fields such as traveler occupation and educational attainment have been removed.

Upon providing their travel details, personal information, health declaration and vaccination details on the eArrival Card website, travelers will be issued with a unique QR code.

Travelers must then capture a screenshot of the QR code on his/her mobile or computer device and present this to the BOQ officers at their destination airport in the Philippines.

Last Sunday, Marcos said Philippine tourism is back on track as he cited Filipinos’ resiliency and talent in bringing the country to the path of recovery.

“So it is a good thing to remind people that the pandemic may have been difficult. The pandemic really put us through the wringer, but we are back. The pandemic is fading away. We are learning to manage it,” Marcos said in a welcome luncheon at the MassKara Festival in Bacolod City. – Rhodina Villanueva, Helen Flores