Metro Manila positivity rate rises to 12.3% — OCTA
MANILA, Philippines — The number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in Metro Manila increased over the past week, according to monitoring by OCTA Research.
OCTA fellow Guido David said the capital region’s seven-day positivity rate increased to 12.3% on April 25 from 8.1% from a week ago.
The World Health Organization recommends the proportion of COVID-19 tests coming back positive should remain below 5% to ensure the spread of the virus is under control.
“The number of cases increased quite significantly,” David said, noting that waning immunity, decreased compliance with health protocols and increased mobility contributed to the rise in infections.
He also raised concern on the presence of Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, which has been designated a variant of interest by the World Health Organization and is fueling a surge in infections in India.
The country’s first confirmed XBB.1.16 case was detected in Western Visayas. The subvariant is also known as Arcturus.
The Department of Health has been stressing that the positivity rate should not be used as the sole indicator to evaluate the country’s COVID-19 situation as it can be affected by the number of people who get tested for the virus.
The Philippines is seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases as more people go out and as the economy continues to reopen. Despite the rise in infections, the country’s healthcare utilization rates remain low. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
- Latest
- Trending
