FOR the fourth consecutive day, new coronavirus infections exceeded 11,000 while deaths surpassed 200, pushing the death toll from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) past 15,000.
The bulk of new cases are in the National Capital Region (NCR), which had the highest average daily attack rate (Adar) of 36.32 per 100,000 population in the recent one to two weeks from March 28 to April 10 compared to the national Adar of 9.13 per 100,000.
NCR, Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Ilocos are considered high risk, said Dr. Alethea de Guzman, DOH Epidemiology Bureau director.
Central Visayas, Soccsksargen and Bangsamoro are now classified as low risk.
As of April 11, Central Visayas had 4,473 active Covid-19 cases. The seven-day moving average of new cases went down to 219 in the recent week from April 5 to 11, almost half of the 405 seven-day average a month ago from March 5 to 11.
Classified as moderate risk are Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga, Northern Mindanao, Davao and Caraga.
In its case bulletin at 4 p.m. Monday, April 12, 2021, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 11,378 new infections and 204 deaths.
The new infections brought the cumulative case count to 876,225, of which 157,451 or 18 percent were active cases in hospitals and isolation facilities.
The 204 additional mortalities raised the death toll to 15,149 as of Monday. The case fatality rate has remained at 1.73 percent.
There were 267 additional recoveries, bringing the total to 703,625 or 80.3 percent of the total caseload.
The daily positivity rate remained elevated at 19.5 percent. Testing output was relatively low as only 27,378 samples were processed as of noon of April 11.
Although cases have exceeded 11,000 a day since April 9, the seven-day moving average in the past week fell below 10,000.
De Guzman said in a Malacañang press briefing earlier Monday that the daily average would still have exceeded 10,000 had all testing laboratories been operational during the Holy Week.
In NCR+ alone, De Guzman said cases have averaged 6,324 a day in the recent week. NCR+ refers to NCR and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.
“The cases are rising, but at a slower pace,” she said.
On deaths, De Guzman said the peak was observed around two weeks after the rapid increase in cases in the first week of March.
She said most of the deaths involved those in vulnerable groups and some of them sought medical consultation only after one or two weeks of manifesting symptoms.
She said deaths averaged 46 a day in March and 41 from April 1 to 11, lower than the 68 daily average in August, 61 in September and 54 in July 2020. (SunStar Philippines)