Cebu, Lapu-Lapu COVID-19 cases rise — OCTA

MANILA, Philippines — More COVID-19 cases were recorded in the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu in the past week, the OCTA Research group reported yesterday.

Citing data from the Department of Health, OCTA said Cebu City logged an average of 87 cases per day from July 8 to 14, compared to 72 in the preceding week.

Lapu-Lapu recorded an average of 42 cases daily, up from 30 recorded in the preceding week.

While both cities were classified as moderate risk, OCTA said the reproduction number or those who can be infected by a person who tests positive for COVID-19 is “high” in Cebu at 1.37  and “very high” in Lapu-Lapu at 1.8.

In terms of average daily attack rate (ADAR), which measures the number of new cases per 100,000 people, Cebu and Lapu-Lapu are considered as moderate risk for COVID-19.

According to OCTA, Mariveles in Bataan is the other area with a very high reproduction number at 2.23, which was due to the more than 200 new cases recorded on July 11.

Subsequent data showed very low numbers, indicating that the spike in cases was due to a clustering from lags in data reporting.

High risk cities

Four other cities – Davao, Iloilo, Baguio and Sta. Rosa in Laguna – were classified as high risk.

OCTA said the number of average daily new cases decreased in Davao (from 259 to 232) and Iloilo (104 to 101), but their ADAR remains high at 12.77 and 21.31, respectively.

Both cities also have very high intensive care utilization (ICU) rate of 87 percent and 94 percent, respectively.

Baguio, meanwhile, recorded an average of 62 new cases per day from July 8 to 14, similar to the preceding week. Its ADAR was 16.76 percent while ICU utilization rate at 71 percent is considered moderate.

The number of average new cases in Sta. Rosa slightly increased from 33 to 38, giving it a moderate ADAR of 9.75. However, the ICU utilization rate in the town was very high at 97 percent.

Given the threat of the Delta variant, OCTA reiterated its recommendation to expand testing, tracing and isolation as well as improve biosurveillance nationwide.

“The threat of the Delta variant is not a question of if but a question of when,” the group said.

“The possibility of a highly contagious Delta variant overwhelming our current healthcare system is a reality we must prepare for,” it added.