The Cordillera was placed on the “high risk” category of Covid-19 epidemic due to surge in cases based on the daily attack rate (ADAR) over a two-week period.
The Department of Health-Cordillera has classified as high risk the region’s epidemic level after the average ADAR went beyond the desired level. The desired ADAR, which measures the proportion of a population that contracts the infection, is zero.
DOH-Cordillera Senior Health Program Officer Karen Lonogan said the region’s ADAR as of Jan. 20 was at 8.32, which means eight in every 100,000 individuals have contracted the virus that causes the Covid-19.
Lonogan said there should be one to seven in every 100,000 individuals for an area to be classified as moderate risk.
For the growth rate, which measures how fast cases increase, Lonogan said the region fell under the moderate risk category, which was at 199 percent. The desired growth rate is zero and a growth rate of one to 200 percent is categorized as moderate risk.
Lonogan said while the region’s growth rate is classified as moderate, the high ADAR led to the high-risk epidemic level for the Cordillera.
As of Jan. 20, Covid-19 cases in the Cordillera breached the 10,000-mark at 10,491 cases, of which 1,685 are active or the patients are either in hospitals or isolation units.
Baguio remains to have the highest cases at 4,588 of which 475 are active while Benguet has 3,900 with 424 active cases.
Kalinga recorded 959 with 307 active cases; Mountain Province, 534 with 342 active; Ifugao, 236 with 97 active; Abra, 161 with 17 active; and Apayao, 113 with 23 active cases.
Lonogan said the DOH has foreseen a spike in cases after the Yuletide celebrations, which is why they have intensified their information, education, and communication campaign against the spread of the Covid-19 before the holidays.
“We expected an increase in the number of cases after the holidays, but we did not expect it to be this high,” she said.
The surge in cases is not solely due to local transmissions, as Lonogan said: “A lot are imported cases and brought about by residents returning to their localities.”
She asked LGUs to continue strictly implementing the minimum health standards and for those classified as moderate risk areas to not let their guards down.
“We have noticed that there has been a surge of cases in areas that used to fall under the moderate risk classification. So, we are asking the public to not be complacent.”
Lonogan, meanwhile, clarified that Cordillera’s high-risk epidemic classification is different from the quarantine classification for local government units and cannot be used solely as an indication of whether an LGU should be placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), modified ECQ, or other categories.
There are other factors considered in the quarantine classification for LGUs, such as their Covid-19 bed capacity and critical care utilization rate.
The region’s infection level is expected to change in the following weeks, as the ADAR and the growth rate also constantly change. – Jane B. Cadalig
July 27, 2024