Independent research group OCTA on Monday, June 7, expressed concern that Davao City will likely surpass Quezon City with the highest number of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases "before next week."
In OCTA's monitoring from May 31 to June 6, the one-week growth rate in new cases in Davao City was 54 percent, as compared with Quezon City that has a negative (-) 22 percent growth rate.
Over the past week, Quezon City still has the highest number of new COVID-19 cases at 219, followed by Davao City at 206.
Aside from Davao City, OCTA flagged other Mindanao cities as "areas of concern" due to the rising number of new COVID-19 cases.
These are Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental; General Santos City, South Cotabato; Koronadal City, South Cotabato; and Cotabato City, Maguindanao.
Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; Iloilo City, Iloilo; and Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental in Visayas, and Tuguegarao City, Cagayan in Luzon were also flagged as areas of concern.
"Healthcare utilization rates remained high in the provinces of Iloilo, Misamis Oriental, and Cagayan," OCTA said.
Meanwhile, OCTA noted that the number of new COVID-19 cases in the NCR (National Capital Region) Plus area, composed of Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan, has "resumed a downward trajectory after a week of unstable trends."
The reproduction number in Metro Manila from May 31 to June 6 was 0.74 while the one-week growth rate in new cases was -11 percent with a positivity rate of 9 percent.