COVID-19 infections in Metro Manila peaking, but may spread elsewhere

MANILA, Philippines — Although the COVID-19 positivity rate is still rising, a member of the OCTA Research group yesterday said the infections in Metro Manila “seem to be peaking.”

Citing data from the Department of Health (DOH), OCTA fellow Guido David said the seven-day positivity rate in the region rose to 22.4 percent on Dec. 22, from 18.4 percent on Dec. 14.

“Infections seem to be peaking as per projections. However, infections are likely to spread to other provinces,” he said.

The positivity rate measures the percentage of positive results out of the total RT-PCR tests conducted.

It does not take into account the more popular antigen tests, which OCTA said could mean that the actual number of new cases may be higher.

Last week, the seven-day positivity rate in Metro Manila increased to 21 percent. David said this was only the fifth time since the positivity rate exceeded 20 percent.

The World Health Organization previously recommended a positivity rate of five percent or below to effectively manage the pandemic.

The DOH on Friday reported 557 new cases, with 235 in Metro Manila, bringing the total active cases to 5,569 across the country.