Duque: Healthcare systems in ‘safe zone’
DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday night, February 24, 2021, said healthcare systems in all regions were still generally in the safe zone as only about half of the facilities designated for the pandemic were in use.
However, Duque said Baguio City was considered a high risk while Lapu-Lapu City (Cebu), Santiago City (Isabela), Makati City, and the provinces of Davao de Oro and Isabela were classified as moderate risk.
Among the regions, Central Visayas and Davao had the highest health care utilization rates (HCUR) of 48 percent and 47 percent, respectively.
The HCUR, which refers to the proportion of beds and ventilators being used by coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients, is the parameter used by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in the escalation of risk classifications.
During the weekly Covid-19 briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte Wednesday night, Duque said Central Visayas had the highest two-week growth rate (2WGR) in infections at 64 percent.
Nationwide, Duque said infections have plateaued or even slowed down.