OCTA: COVID-19 positivity rate in NCR rises to 18.8%
MANILA, Philippines — The COVID-19 positivity rate—or the number of people testing positive for the virus—continued to increase in Metro Manila, monitoring by OCTA Research showed.
OCTA fellow Guido David said the positivity rate rose to 18.8% on May 1 from 11.7% April 24.
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.
COVID-19 cases in the Philippines are on the rise, with the Department of Health reporting 4,456 new infections in the past week. Last week’s daily average—637 cases—increased by 42% from the figure logged from April 17 to 23.
Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing Tuesday that the uptick does not translate to more hospital admissions, severe and critical cases and deaths. Healthcare utilization rates also remain low.
The DOH has stressed that the positivity rate should not be used as a 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.
According to Vergeire, there was a “tremendous decrease” in the number of RT-PCR tests being done.
“No matter how high the positivity rate is, it does not give an accurate picture of our COVID-19 situation. Most are using antigen tests. Some are not having any tests at all, but are just isolating themselves when they are sick,” Vergeire said in Filipino.
The Philippines does not need to bring back its mask mandate and other pandemic restrictions even as COVID-19 cases continue to increase, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said in recommendations to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
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