98 pct of COVID cases mild, moderate, asymptomatic: Health USec

MANILA – About 98 percent of COVID-19 cases in the country are either asymptomatic or only show mild and moderate symptoms, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said Monday.

“We’re seeing roughly about almost 98 percent mild moderate and asymptomatics for these COVID cases. We’d seen the numbers of about 1.86 percent for the severe and critical [cases],” he said.

“This is kinda different from what we saw in April and last year when it was hovering about three percent for the severe and the critical,” he added. 

Vega said, however, that Metro Manila’s 1,245 intensive care unit (ICU) beds are now about 73 percent occupied, which places the are under the high-risk classification.

“At present right now the healthcare utilization rate in Metro Manila is in moderate risk, however if you try to look into the intensive care units, it is now in the high risk position at 73 percent,” he explained.

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Vega encouraged the public to get vaccinated, as vaccines protect their recipients from hospitalization and death due to COVID.

He also noted that a study conducted in six hospitals showed that unvaccinated health workers were four to eight times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than those vaccinated.

Vega also noted that he is meeting with hospital officials and state insurer PhilHealth after the latter issued a circular on the suspension of payments of claims.

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“This is a very important and very critical kind of situation. Because if the PhilHealth will suspend or not give any kind of reimbursement to the hospitals, it will actually increase the out of pocket expenses of the ordinary Filipino,” he said.