Davao City’s COVID-19 positivity rate hits 48.34%

In a report from the City Information Office (CIO) Schlosser said the city has already exceeded 1,000 in the past two days and this is by far the city’s highest positivity rate.

The Department of Health (DOH) on January 20 reported that the city recorded 1,020 active cases, following the 1,197 logged on January 19. 

The city's total active cases as of January 20 are 4,578. Since March 2020, the city's cases have reached 59,000 with a total of 52,613 recoveries, and 1,809 total deaths.

In the same DOH Davao bulletin, 19 of the city’s 119 ward beds, as well as two of six ICU beds and 32 of the 124 isolation beds are currently in use. 

Two of the city's mechanical ventilators are also being used.

However, the Southern Philippines Medical Center's (SPMC's) 279 ward beds are all currently utilized while 55 of its 87 ICU beds are also being used. Sixty-seven of SPMC's 72 isolation beds are also used up while 25 of its 55 mechanical ventilators are being utilized.

According to Schlosser, out of the 1,197 cases on January 19, 15 percent are vaccinated although others are still subject to verification. 

“Data shows you can still be infected even if you're vaccinated. It's important to still follow the minimum public health standards. Get boosters to have additional 25-fold protection, protect yourself against the severity of the disease)," the city health official said.

Schlosser also said that they are waiting for the data management team and the prediction of the epidemiologist to determine what to expect from the current surge. 

“How long this surge will last, if the cases will decrease, so that the public will know but these are only predictions,” she said.

She underscored that even if most active cases are asymptomatic and mild, the chain of infection will continue if Dabawenyos remain undisciplined.

"Even if there is a security cluster, monitoring is not 24 hours. Each one of us must contribute, we have the responsibility to battle this disease. Upon observation, some don't wear face masks, or when they do, only the mouth is covered and the nose is exposed. Others no longer follow social distancing. Even if nobody is watching over you, impose minimum public health standards,” Schlosser said.

She also urged fully vaccinated Dabawenyos to avail of booster shots as soon as possible. 

Data showed that only 136,526 have availed of boosters so far, out of 1,215,990 fully vaccinated Dabawenyos.

"Let’s hasten it since our vaccination hubs remain open,” she added.

Currently, 98 percent or 1,276,123 residents have received their first doses of vaccines and about 93 to 94 percent for the second dose.

The city recorded 1,540 new COVID cases out of the 1,923 cases logged in Davao Region on Friday.