The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said there is an upward trend in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in other regions as observed in the National Capital Region (NCR).
During an online media forum, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Metro Manila’s neighboring provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal have shown an upward trend in cases.
“Mula po sa 153 cases a day noong unang linggo ng Disyembre tumaas na po ito sa 1,400 cases a day sa bandang dulo ng nasabing buwan (From 153 cases on the first week of December, it went up to 1,400 cases toward the end of the month),” she said.
The increase in cases in other regions will not be an isolated case, she added.
The NCR Plus areas and the whole of Luzon have seen a higher increase in cases compared to the September 2021 surge due to the Delta variant.
Below are the provinces and cities under Alert Level 3 which saw a similar increase in infections that was observed in the NCR:
“Ang mga lugar na may mababang vaccination rates ay kailangan maghanda para sa kanilang mga (Areas with low vaccination rates need to prepare for their) hospital capacity. Eighteen out of 99 areas are Alert Level 3 and most of them have less than 40 percent vaccination rate,” Vergeire said.
Meantime, the NCR logged a steep increase in their hospital admissions with 60 percent hospital bed utilization and 58 percent intensive care unit bed utilization.
To protect NCR’s healthcare system, the DOH earlier said vulnerable members of the population would be prioritized in hospitalization. (PNA)