The number of new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases remain low nationwide, averaging 366 only per day in the past week, a health official said Tuesday.

Latest data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed that the country logged 2,568 new infections for the week of March 29 to April 4.

“Patunay ito na mababa na talaga ang ating case rates, nasa 1.8 percent na lamang po ang ating positivity rate mas mababa kumpara sa 2.1 percent noong nakaraang linggo (This is proof that case rates are truly low with 1.8 percent positivity rate which is lower than last week’s 2.1 percent),” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during an online media forum.

With the government’s continued effort, more than 66.2 million individuals are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 while 71.4 million have received their first dose of the life-saving jabs.

The number of individuals with comorbidities who are now fully vaccinated have reached 8.9 million or 93.2 percent of the target population while about 66 million or 75.9 percent of the elderly population have completed their primary series.

Meantime, there are more than one million children aged 5 to 11 and nine million adolescents who are fully inoculated.

As for the booster shots, about 12.2 million out of the 46.8 million eligible citizens have received them.

In her presentation, Vergeire said countries with higher rates of booster and vaccination have seen fewer deaths in recent surges of Covid-19 cases.

She cited that both Hong Kong and New Zealand saw a recent surge in infections due to new variants of coronavirus.

However, there were 38 times more deaths per one million people in Hong Kong which administered less vaccine boosters compared to New Zealand.

Vergeire noted that there are few senior citizens aged 80 years old and above who have been vaccinated in Hong Kong before the spread of the Omicron variant.

“Less than 25 percent ito sa Hong Kong habang more than 90 percent naman ang bakunadong senior citizens sa New Zealand (It is less than 25 percent in Hong Kong more than 90 percent senior citizens are vaccinated in New Zealand),” she said. “Based on studies of US CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], being boosted decreases the risk of hospitalization by 81 percent per data during the peak of Omicron variant attack.”

As over 13,000 public and private schools started face-to-face classes on Monday, the DOH reminded learners, parents, and teachers to continue adhering to the health protocols. (PNA)