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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider COVID-19 downward trend in Metro Manila 'disappeared' -- OCTA Research

COVID-19 downward trend in Metro Manila 'disappeared' -- OCTA Research

Published Jun 2, 2021 12:27 pm

(JANSEN ROMERO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

Independent research group OCTA said the downward trend in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Metro Manila over the past weeks has "disappeared."

"It's not yet at the point that it is very alarming. The downward trend now in the NCR (National Capital Region) has disappeared. We are seeing an unstable trend right now, which means that we are not certain if it's going to go up or going to go down soon," OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said in a One News interview last Tuesday, June 1.

He said they have observed that cases are "starting to increase" in some local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan.

However, some LGUs, like Navotas, Malabon, and Manila "still have good numbers."

David cited the public's complacency and failure to adhere to health protocols that have contributed to the increase in cases in some areas.

"Part of the reason is that we are seeing a lot of these superspreader events happening--private pool parties, social gatherings. A lot of transmissions are actually happening in these social gatherings," he said.

"What we're getting from reports is that we're getting community transmissions in these private gatherings. If this is the case, this is more of complacency rather than the overall quarantine restrictions...that is the root cause from our perspective," he added.

OCTA Research fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco also noted increasing patterns of COVID-19 spikes and surges in areas outside Metro Manila.

"If you look at the pattern of the pandemic in the Philippines over the last week, what we're seeing is that you are increasingly seeing spikes and surges in our provinces which had not been exposed to the variants," Austriaco said.

"What we're seeing now all over the Philippines, especially in Mindanao and certain areas in the Visayas is that regions that had not experienced the surge are now experiencing a delayed surge. This pattern suggests that someone brought the variants from Metro Manila to these regions to set off these outbreaks," he added.

David said OCTA will have to observe the trend for at least a week to find out if it is indeed going up.

"If the trend is clear that we're on an increase then definitely, you know, start screaming about it, start waving the flag," he pointed out.

Related Tags

Metro Manila covid-19 OCTA Research guido david Nicanor Austriaco
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