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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Positivity rate not sole indicator to assess Covid-19 situation—DOH

Positivity rate not sole indicator to assess Covid-19 situation—DOH

Published May 4, 2023 08:31 am
The positivity rate is not the only factor that should be looked at in order to evaluate the Covid-19 situation in the country as there are other indicators affecting the trend of infections, the Department of Health (DOH) reminded the public. To note, the positivity rate is the percentage of individuals who test positive for Covid-19 out of the total number of people who have been tested. “With the shift in testing protocols to focus more on symptomatic individuals, the positivity rate is expected to increase because those tested are those most likely to be positive,” the DOH said in a statement on Thursday, May 4. “The positivity rate is not the sole criterion in monitoring our Covid-19 situation. There are many factors or measures to consider as to an area’s increase in Covid-19 cases,” it added. The DOH said it is better to give more weight to the country’s hospital utilization rate. “We reiterate that we must keep an eye on our healthcare utilization rates and monitor the situation in our admissions in the hospitals,” it said. “The DOH reiterates the need to put more emphasis on other factors such as our layers of protection (mask wearing based on individual risk assessment, isolating when sick, and of course vaccination (getting primary series and boosted)),” it added. The DOH made this statement after OCTA Research group fellow Dr. Guido David reported that the National Capital Region’s (NCR) positivity rate may increase to 25 percent from the current 19.7 percent. “NCR 7-day testing positivity rate increased to 19.7 percent as of May 2 2023, from 12.7 percent on Apr 25. This could go as high as 25 percent. I hope not,” he said in a Twitter post.

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positivity rates covid-19 Department of Health (DOH)
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