MANILA, Philippines — Most of the country’s regions continue to be at “minimal risk” for COVID-19 transmission, while six others are currently at “low risk,” Health Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama said in the weekly “Talk to the People” briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to the Dumama, the six regions at low risk are Central Luzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and the Bangsamaoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)

“This is due to the positive growth rates over the past two weeks,” Dumama said in Filipino.

Almost all regions, however, experienced a positive growth rate in the number of infections from May 16 to 23 — excluding the Cordillera Administrative Region, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and BARMM.

“These recorded increases in cases, however, do not affect our health utilization rate in the regions and across the country, and they remain at a low-risk utilization rate,” Dumama clarified.

He urged the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and those eligible to get booster shots, in light of the detected local transmission of a more-transmissible Omicron subvariant.

Facade of the DOH main office in Manila. 黑料社 file photo

The said it had recorded a total of 1,247 COVID-19 infections from May 17 to 23, which was slightly higher than the 1,118 cases reported from May 16 to 22.

As of this writing, the total COVID-19 caseload is at 3,689,132, with 2,271 active infections,  3,626,406 recoveries, and 60,455 deaths.

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