Hospital intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy rates in nine cities in Luzon and Visayas have already reached "critical" levels due to rising coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country, OCTA Research's latest monitoring report on Tuesday, Aug. 10, showed.
The areas that logged critical ICU utilization rates during the Aug. 3-9 monitoring period were Taguig City (100 percent), Las Piñas City (97 percent), Bacoor City (92 percent), General Trias City (91 percent), Cabuyao City (91 percent), Makati City (90 percent), Tuguegarao City (90 percent), Iloilo City (88 percent), and San Fernando City (87 percent).
OCTA's report also showed that the average daily attack rates (ADAR) or incidence rates, which refer to the number of new daily cases per 100,000, were classified as "critical" in 10 areas.
These were Laoag City (51.91), Manolo Fortich (45.33), Mariveles (39.29), Tuguegarao City (36.45), Lapu-Lapu City (29.23), Makati City (28.96), Navotas (27.72), Cebu City (27.22), Malolos City (25.70), and Pasay City (25.24).
Moreover, OCTA noted that Metro Manila's seven-day average of daily new COVID cases was up by 41 percent from 1,553 to 2,189.
Metro Manila's reproduction number of 1.79 is now at critical level. Reproduction number refers to the average number of secondary infections by each infected individual.
Meanwhile, the Philippines' seven-day average of daily new COVID-19 cases increased by 23 percent from 7,195 to 8,850.
The country's reproduction number is at 1.33, which is considered "high."
OCTA's reported showed that the 10 areas with the highest average number of daily COVID-19 cases from Aug. 3 to 9 were Quezon City (389 cases), Cebu City (280 cases), Manila City (265 cases), Makati City (183 cases), Davao City (172 cases), Pasig City (160 cases), Cagayan de Oro City (158 cases), Parañaque City (140 cases), Taguig City (138 cases), and Bacoor City (138 cases).