The daily growth rate of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Metro Manila continued to decline but the region is still considered at "very high risk" for infections, the independent research group OCTA said on Monday evening, Jan. 17.
OCTA Research Fellow Dr. Guido David said that Metro Manila recorded 13,543 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, based on the data of the Department of Health.
"The daily growth rate decreased to - (negative) 4 percent, i.e. there is now a day-to-day decrease of 4 percent, based on the seven-day moving average," David said in a tweet.
Moreover, the COVID-19 reproduction number in Metro Manila has decreased to 2.37--from a peak of 6.16 on Jan. 2.
David pointed out that while the number of cases is declining, "we need to monitor the trends closely over the next week, as there may still be backlog and late reports."
"In the meantime, we need to continue best practices in order to bring cases down further," he said.
"We need to continue to be vigilant until NCR becomes moderate risk again," he added.