City sees slight uptick in Covid-19 positivity rate

For the past two weeks, the Summer Capital’s Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) positivity rate saw a slight increase from 4.66 to 5.3 percent as it continues to be at ‘low risk’, level 1 status, a local health official disclosed.      

In the regular management committee meeting of city officials, Oct. 11, led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong, City Health Services Office (CHSO) head Dr. Rowena Galpo said the city’s average daily attack rate also saw a minor uptick during the period from 2.6 to 2.8 per 100,000.      

The city also had a Covid-19 two-week growth rate of (-)14 to (-)13.33 percent; an uptick in its weekly infection rate of 0.78 to 1.13; and a decrease in average tests done of 240 to 193 during the period.      

As of Oct. 10, the city’s hospital critical utilization rate is from 8.44 to 9.5 percent while its isolation facility bed occupancy decreased slightly from 6.81 to 6.74 percent, she said.      

Meanwhile, Galpo revealed that Omicron remains the dominant Covid-19 variant affecting 67 percent of cases in the city as of September 29 this year with Delta affecting 18 percent; Alpha, 10 percent; and the Beta variant infecting five percent of the population.            

As to Omicron’s subvariants, she said BA.5 is most dominant at 66 percent; B.1.1.529, 32 percent; with both BA.2.12.1 and BA 4 subvariants at one percent each. – Gaby B. Keith