BUTUAN CITY – A decrease in the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections has been recorded in the Caraga Region, the Department of Health in the region (DOH-13) reported Monday.
Dr. Gerna Manatad, the DOH-13 chief epidemiologist, said Monday in his report during the conduct of the 19th regular meeting of the Regional Task Force for Covid-19 One Caraga Shield (RTF-COCS) that the decrease was noted between the period of October 3 to 9.
“During the period, Covid-19 cases in the region have dropped to 1,535 or nearly a thousand cases lesser (compared to those) from September 26 to October 2 that reached 2,525,” Manatad said.
He said among the factors that contributed to the decrease of infections in the region was the improved containment strategies imposed in the different provinces.
Despite the recent drop in the number of Covid-19 cases, Manatad said the Covid-19 average daily attack rate (ADAR) across the region remained high.
ADAR is the number of new cases in a city or province over two weeks, divided by the population of the city or province.
Bislig City in Surigao del Sur continued to have the highest ADAR with 18.03 percent, Butuan City (16.34%), Agusan del Sur (10.38%), and Surigao del Sur (9.75%).
Three provinces in the region are now considered a moderate risk, including the Dinagat Islands with an ADAR of 3.32 percent, Agusan del Norte (6.87%), and Surigao del Norte (5.83%).
“Caraga remains as a high-risk area with an ADAR recorded at 10.09 percent,” Manatad said.
Monday’s RTF-COCS meeting was presided by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles, the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) in the Caraga Region.
During the meeting, Nograles stressed the importance of intensifying the vaccination drive in the region to achieve population immunity by the end of this year.
“All the concerned agencies and the local government units under the task force must work together to improve the vaccination rollout in the region,” Nograles said.
The DOH-13 said 864,746 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have already been administered in the region as of Oct. 3, 2021.
A total of 423,145 individuals in Caraga have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccines while 441,601 have been fully vaccinated, the agency said. (PNA)
