DAVAO City's Covid-19 positivity rate plunged further to around five percent, noting a decline in recorded cases in the city.
This was confirmed by Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser in a radio interview on Friday, October 29.
The official said the daily recorded Covid-19 cases are going down. As of October 25, the positivity rate was at 5.6 percent.
"Very happy gyud ta karon kay persistent atong five percent na positivity rate (We are very happy because the positivity rate is persistent at five percent), which is a good number," Schlosser said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
According to the World Health Organization, the acceptable positivity rate must be at five percent below to determine that the Covid-19 situation in a certain area is manageable.
She also noted a decrease of deaths, wherein the city has noted two consecutive days without a single recorded death.
With this, the city's Covid-19 hospital and facility beds had been decongested.
As of October 29, Covid-19 beds at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), the city's main referral hospital, also noted a decline of admission.
SPMC's intensive care unit beds are 65.77 percent occupied, while its ward beds are 35.17 percent occupied.
The spokesperson attributed the decline in Covid-19 cases in the city to the continuing increase of vaccinated individuals.
According to the Davao City Vaccination Cluster as of October 28, the city had already reached 64.2 percent of its target herd immunity for the first dose, wherein 882,818 first doses were already administered. Meanwhile, 788,001 second doses were already administered.
The improving Covid-19 situation in the city had resulted in the lifting of the 24-hour liquor ban and curfew.
The official repeatedly reminded the public that the observance of health protocols must remain in place.
"Magpadayon lang na kung naay contribution ang tanan ug ang contribution nato is to be vaccinated," she said.
(The downtrend of cases will only continue if the public would have themselves vaccinated.)
Schlosser said the city, despite not being able to reach the 1.2 million herd immunity for the first dose by November 2021, will intensify its vaccination program, especially in the far-flung areas and in the communities wherein there’s vaccine hesitancy.