The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in 13 provinces continued to increase as manifested by their "positive" one-week growth rates, the OCTA Research Group said on Friday, Feb. 4.
OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David pointed out that the COVID-19 growth rates in Davao Occidental (85 percent) and Camiguin (78 percent) have been "very high" over the past week.
Positive one-week growth rates were also observed in Bukidnon (22 percent), Cotabato (3 percent), Davao del Norte (2 percent), Guimaras (5 percent), Maguindanao (5 percent), Sarangani (26 percent), Siquijor (3 percent), South Cotabato (25 percent), Sultan Kudarat (11 percent), Tawi-Tawi (33 percent), and Zamboanga del Norte (8 percent).
Moreover, the COVID-19 risk classification of Iloilo City is still at "very high risk," based on the latest monitoring of the research group.
David noted that while Iloilo City is still at a very high risk level, other highly urbanized cities (HUCs), namely Bacolod, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Ormoc, and Tacloban have improved to the "high-risk" category.
He said the improvement in the risk classification of the six HUCs can be attributed to the observed "downward trends" in COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, Metro Manila had recorded 724 new cases on Thursday.
"This is good particularly as this is not a Tuesday or Wednesday. Actuals in the NCR are now below our Jan. 20 projections again, headed towards less than 500 by V-Day ," David said in a tweet.
However, he continued to remind the public to observe strict compliance with safety protocols to maintain the downtrend in cases.