The National Capital Region (NCR) is back to moderate risk classification for Covid-19 with its positivity rate now at 16.4 percent, a health official said Friday.

Positivity rate is the number of people tested positive for Covid-19 in a certain area.

“’Pag tiningnan natin, comparing this to the previous two weeks, makikita natin na tumaas talaga (If we look at it, comparing this to the previous two weeks, we can see that it really increased),” Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media briefing.

“Among the different regions in the country, ang NCR ay pumasok na ulit sa (the NCR entered again) moderate risk case classification,” she added.

However, NCR’s healthcare utilization rate remains low risk with only 39 percent of its Covid-19 ward beds and 33 percent intensive care unit beds utilized.

Only the cities of Pasig and Muntinlupa have an increase in their ICU admissions while six out of the 17 cities observed a rise in their ward admissions for Covid-19.

“Ito pong ating National Capital Region, if you try to look at this, disaggregating it, meron po tayong 11 out of the 17 cities and municipalities in NCR na nasa (This National Capital Region, if you try to look at this, disaggregating it, we have 11 out of the 17 cities and municipalities in NCR under) moderate risk case classification,” Vergeire said.

Citing an increased average daily attack rate in the NCR, Vergeire said the rise in cases could not be attributed to the optional wearing of masks in outdoor settings.

“Because as I have said, it will take us around one to two weeks for us to analyze the effects of these easing or optional masking outdoors,” she said. (PNA)