The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation in the Philippines continued to improve, based on the latest data of the independent research group OCTA.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Nov. 17, OCTA research fellow Dr. Guido David said the country's seven-day average number of new COVID-19 cases has decreased by 10 percent to 1,809 cases per day.
David said the reproduction number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines was at 0.42, while positivity rate was at 4 percent.
Reproduction number refers to the average number of secondary infections by each infected individual, while the positivity rate refers to the number of people who test positive given the testing.
"Based on these trends, new cases could decrease to 500 before the year's end," David pointed out.
Meanwhile, David said Metro Manila's seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases increased by 14 percent to 413, while the positivity rate remained at 3 percent.
"I think it is just due to backlog. I still don't see a surge happening. I think the growth rate will be negative again next week," he added.
As the COVID-19 situation continues to improve, David reminded the public that the downward trend can be easily reversed if people are complacent.
He appealed to the public to continue to adhere to the minimum public health protocols to prevent a resurgence in infections.
"We must continue to follow minimum public health standards so cases will decrease further," David said.