THE Covid-19 positivity rate in Davao City dropped to 32 percent as of January 30, after reaching a record of 48.32 percent two weeks ago.
Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, said on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, that although the positivity rate has dropped, it is still a high number.
“We continue to push further na mubaba pa ni ang positivity rate nato,” she said. “We have been seeing downtrend pero sa atoa diri sa City Health, we will not be very confident, kinahanglan gihapon always ta mag malantawon kasi anytime pwede gyod magtaas ang cases.”
(We continue to push our positivity rates lower. We have been seeing a downtrend, but for us in the City Health Office, we will not be very confident. We still need to be vigilant always because the cases can rise anytime.)
Although Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said on Monday, January 31, that the current surge of cases may end soon, Schlosser said that the surge is "definitely" still ongoing, and the predicted end of the surge in March may still or may not happen.
Schlosser said a low positivity rate of five percent and below, which is the accepted positivity rate nationwide, would indicate if Davao City has surpassed the surge.
“The prediction still stands kay predictability ra man pud na no, pwede siya mahitabo or pwede sya dili mahitabo,” said Schlosser.
(The prediction still stands since it’s only a prediction, it can happen or not.)
Based on the Covid-19 Regional Daily Case Bulletin of the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao, the number of new Covid-19 cases in Davao City has decreased in the past few days.
As of February 1, the daily new cases dropped to 331 compared to 1,395 cases on January 23.
Schlosser said the drop in cases may be attributed to the discipline of the people by following the minimum public health standards (MPHS), as well as the continuous vaccination rollout against Covid-19.
“Praise God sa discipline of the people here in Davao City kay once makita nila nag-surge, makit-an pud nimo pagkahiusa na mag follow gyud,” Schlosser said, referring to the coordination of Dabawenyos during the ongoing surge.
(Praise God for the discipline of the people here in Davao City because once they see a surge, they follow the protocols more strictly.)
The spokesperson said the MPHS and vaccination rollout strategy of the Covid-19 Task Force will remain as the main measures to combat the spread of infections.