Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) – The easing of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila is possible if the two-week growth rate and the average daily attack rate (ADAR) go down in the region, according to Health Undersecretary and Treatment czar Leopoldo Vega.
“Kailangan po pababain natin ito, lalo na itong two-week growth rate, dapat maging negative para makita natin na bumababa na talaga itong pandemic. Yung ADAR po natin, pababain natin para yung transmission hindi tataas,” Vega said in a Malacañang press briefing Tuesday.
[Translation: We need to lower these, especially the two-week growth rate. It should be negative so we can see a decline in the pandemic. We should also have a lower ADAR so the transmission would not increase.]
Metro Manila is currently at “high risk” for COVID-19 infections.
The risk classification is based on the two-week growth rate and the ADAR.
As of August 8, Metro Manila saw a 123% two-week growth rate with a “high-risk” ADAR of 12.70 cases per 100,000 population.
A positive growth rate indicates an increase in infections while a negative growth means cases are decreasing.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region’s healthcare utilization rate, or the available facilities for COVID-19 patients, is still considered “low-risk” at 54.11%.
Metro Manila was placed under ECQ – the strictest quarantine status – from August 6 to 20 due to the threat of the highly contagious Delta variant.
On Tuesday, 8,560 more Filipinos got infected, pushing the nationwide tally to 1,676,156.
There are 79,016 active cases or people currently ill.
