Metro COVID cases down
CNN Philippines — Metro Manila is seeing an improvement in its COVID-19 response after reverting to a strict lockdown last month, according to the independent research group OCTA.
In its report on Sunday, OCTA said the national capital region’s new daily COVID-19 cases averaged at 3,841 during the April 18 to 24 periods, which translates to a 20% decline from the week before.
This is also 30% lower than the 5,552 daily average recorded three weeks ago, when the area was still under the most stringent form of community quarantine due to a surge.
The virus’ reproduction rate in NCR, or the number of people infected by a single patient, has also dropped to 0.93, the report showed. OCTA fellow Guido David earlier said the region had logged a reproduction rate of over 1 from March 11 to April 15.
Meanwhile, a decline has also been seen in NCR’s positivity rate, or the percentage of infected individuals out of all tested. From as high as 25% three weeks ago, OCTA noted the rate stood at 19% over the past week. This is from an average of 26,120 tests conducted daily.
But while the figure has improved, this remains worrisome as the World Health Organization has recommended that the positivity rate be kept at 5% or lower for at least two weeks before considering easing quarantine restrictions.
Likewise improving, although remaining high, are bed utilization rates in the region. According to OCTA, the hospital bed occupancy has decreased to 61%, while the ICU bed occupancy has declined to 71%. Based on the Department of Health data, 41 of the 155 hospitals in NCR which accommodate COVID-19 patients have reached critical level occupancy or over 85% utilization of its beds as of April 23.
Besides Metro Manila, OCTA said other areas which recorded negative growth rates in daily cases over the past week include Western Visayas with -24%, Calabarzon with -12%, Central Luzon with -4%, and Cagayan Valley and Central Visayas with -2% each. The Cordillera Administrative Region, however, saw an increase of 5% in its daily infections.
The capital region, along with nearby provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, transitioned to a more relaxed modified enhanced community quarantine on April 12 after being placed under the strictest ECQ for two weeks due to an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases. This MECQ status will be in place until April 30.
To date, nearly 990,000 people nationwide have fallen ill with COVID-19, according to the DOH’s count. With more than 16,000 deaths and over 883,000 recoveries, the tally of active cases or currently ill patients stand at 89,485, or 9% of all those infected.
