COVID-19 positivity rate in Quezon City drops

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City’s COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped to three percent, the lowest since last year, according to the local government.

The indicator, which measures the number of people testing positive for the virus out of the total COVID tests conducted, is below the ideal five percent set by the World Health Organization.

Despite this, the city government reminded the public to continue following health protocols, such as wearing of face masks, avoiding crowded areas, practicing social distancing and regular washing of hands.

As of yesterday, Quezon City had recorded a total of 178,900 cases of COVID-19 with 176,249 recoveries, 1,600 deaths and 1,051 active cases.

The local government said a slight uptick in new COVID cases was recorded over the past week due to backlog from last month.

According to the OCTA Research Group, the number of new COVID-19 cases posted in Metro Manila in the past week decreased to 379 from 407 from Nov. 11 to 17.

OCTA fellow Guido David projected that COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region may further drop to around 200 per day by the end of the month.

“But we must continue to adhere to minimum public health standards,” David said.

Cold storage facility

Meanwhile, the Quezon City government has inaugurated its cold storage facility that can store COVID-19 vaccines and medicines with controlled cold temperature requirement.

The 105-square-meter facility in Barangay Paligsahan is equipped with walk-in freezers and wall-mounted coolers that can store Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines.

The room is equipped with a digital temperature control and monitoring connected to an alarm system to ensure the safety and quality of the vaccines.

There are also chest-type freezers that can provide more storage spaces, especially for medicines that require below zero temperature.

Mayor Joy Belmonte said the facility is a valuable investment in the city’s public health system.

“This is a manifestation of how important public health is for us. We can say that we have come full circle in addressing the pandemic – from testing, isolating, vaccinating and now storing vaccine supplies for longer shelf life,” Belmonte said.

City health department chief Esperanza Arias said the facility is expected to boost Quezon City’s healthcare system.

Arias said it is the largest cold room and storage facility under the management of a local government unit.

“It will result in easier transport of vaccines to different inoculation sites in the city,” she said.

The city government is currently in partnership with Zuellig Pharma for the storage and logistics of COVID-19 vaccines.

Some COVID supplies will be transferred to the QC cold storage facility by the end of the month, city hall said.

QC Task Force Vax to Normal adviser Joseph Juico said the facility was created in accordance with the requirements for COVID vaccines and medicines.

“The UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) provided technical support to ensure that the facility complies with the requirements fit for vaccine storage,” Juico said.