FOURTEEN cities outside of Metro Manila are seeing a spike in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, with their growth rates climbing by the hundreds, the independent OCTA Research said yesterday.
In a social media post, the independent OCTA Research said several highly urbanized cities (HUCs) in the Philippines registered growth rates in the hundreds during the period of January 12 to 18.
Having the steepest increase in cases are Tacloban (469%), Cebu (378%), and Davao (305%).
Also seeing sharp climbs are Iloilo (281%), Baguio (269%), Cagayan de Oro (261%), and Zamboanga (235%).
Completing the list are General Santos (189%), Naga (188%), Bacolod (183%), Lapu-Lapu (182%), Santiago (163%), Dagupan (120%), and Lucena (105%).
The group also noted how all the 14 HUCs are having “very high” reproduction numbers, as of January 15.
Having the highest reproduction numbers among them are Tacloban (4.59), Cebu (4.51), Baguio (4.28), and Davao (4.11).
Also having high reproduction rates are Iloilo (3.89), Cagayan de Oro (3.84), Santiago (3.61), Lapu-Lapu (3.49), Naga (3.43), General Santos (3.23), Bacolod (3.04), and Zamboanga (3.01).
Completing the list are Lucena (2.95) and Dagupan (2.93).
Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the government is closely monitoring the status of several regions outside of the National Capital Region (NCR) due to their critical two-week growth rates and high average daily attack rates.
Nograles said, though, that hospital utilization rates remain moderate in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Regions I (Ilocos), III (Central Luzon) and IV-A (Calabarzon). These regions, along with Metro Manila, are under Alert Level 3.
Nograles, during an interview with One Balita, said: “Kapag pumalo na po ang lahat nito ng high, ibig sabihin, high iyong average daily attack rate, high iyong two-week growth rate or critical, and then high din po iyong bed utilization rate, which is 71 percent total bed utilization and up, then that is the time that i-elevate or i-escalate na natin to Alert Level 4 (If all these indicators are classified as high, this means a high average daily attack rate, a high two-week growth rate or critical, and then a high bed utilization rate, which is 71 percent total bed utilization and up, then that is the time that we elevate or escalate to Alert Level 4,” Nograles said.
“Hindi pa siya tumatama doon sa high level of total bed utilization, kaya nga po nasa Alert Level 3 pa po tayo. But we are also monitoring other areas, provinces, outside of NCR at binabantayan namin itong tatlong indicators na ito (It has not reached the high level of total bed utilization, that’s’ why we are still under Alert Level 3. But we are also monitoring other areas, provinces, outside of NCR and we are monitoring the three indicators),” Nograles said.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III’, during his report to President Duterte on Monday night, said regions with critical two-week growth rate and ADAR but moderate hospital and intensive care unit bed rates were NCR, Regions II (Cagayan Valley), I (Ilocos), and IV-A (Calabarzon)
CAR had a critical two-week growth rate and ADAR, while its hospital bed use was at moderate and ICU bed use at low. Central Luzon has a critical two-week growth rate and average daily attack rate but low hospital and ICU bed utilization rates.
The Bicol region (Region V) has moderate bed and ICU bed utilization rates but a high two-week growth rate and average daily attack rate. On the other hand, Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) has a high two-week growth rate and average daily attack rate and moderate bed utilization and ICU bed rates.
Currently under Alert Level 3 until January 31 are NCR, and the cities of Baguio, Dagupan, Santiago, Angeles, Olongapo, Lucena, Naga, Iloilo, Lapu-Lapu, Bacolod, Cebu, Mandaue, Tacloban, Ormoc, Isabela, Zamboanga, Iligan, and General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan and Cotabato.
Also under Alert Level 3 are: Ifugao, Mountain Province, Benguet, Kalinga, Abra La Union, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Rizal, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Marinduque, Romblon Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Sorsogon Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Guimaras, Bohol, Cebu, Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Negros Oriental, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Southern Leyte, Western Samar, Zamboanga del Sur, Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, South Cotabato, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Lanao del Sur — With Jocelyn Montemayor
