Almost all of the key coronavirus disease (COVID-19) indicators in Metro Manila are better now than they were during the same period in 2020, independent research group OCTA said on Monday, Dec. 6.
"Comparing the NCR the past week with the same period last year, the average number of cases is lower by 70 percent," OCTA research fellow and University of the Philippines professor Guido David said in his tweet.
"The reproduction number now is also lower , while the positivity rate is much lower at just 1.1 percent compared to 3.7 percent," he added.
Meanwhile, David noted that the average number of tests per day is almost the same--17,974 tests from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, 2020 as against 18,029 tests from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, 2021.
"The testing level is around the same, but nearly all indicators are better now lower positivity rate, attack rate, and reproduction number," he said.
Metro Manila's hospital bed occupancy for COVID-19 is lower (37 percent) compared to last year (21 percent), but the number of ICU beds for COVID-19 that are occupied now is higher (350 beds) than last year (322), he added.
On Dec. 3, OCTA said that Metro Manila was already at "very low risk" status for COVID-19, months after it saw a surge in cases driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant.