A combination of factors, including waning vaccine immunity and the entry of Omicron subvariants in the country’s borders, are fueling the uptick of Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila, according to an expert of the OCTA Research.

In a televised public briefing on Wednesday, June 8, OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said there are “multi-factor” reasons why Metro Manila has been experiencing uptick in cases.

“May factor yung nagiging kampante yung mga kababayan natin. May factor din yung waning immunity. May factor din yung nakapasok na Omicron subvariants. Its a combination of these factors (One factor is because our countrymen are becoming more complacent to the public health protocols. There is also the waning vaccine immunity and the entry of Omicron subvariants). It’s a combination of these factors,” David said.

Citing OCTA’s latest monitoring, David said that Metro Manila’s daily average of new Covid-19 cases has increased by 14 percent—from 79 cases per day last week to 90 cases per day this week.

“Yung pinakamababa natin was about three weeks ago na nag-aaverage tayo ng 63 cases per day. Unti-unting tumataas yung cases (Our lowest recorded cases was about three weeks ago, when we averaged 63 cases per day. The cases are gradually increasing),” he said.

Metro Manila’s Covid-19 reproduction number was at 1.25, while positivity rate was at 1.6 percent.

Reproduction number refers to the average number of secondary infections by each infected individual, while positivity rate refers to the number of individuals who yielded positive results from among those who have been tested for Covid-19.

However, David pointed out that Metro Manila remains at “low-risk” for infections.

He said the number of cases is not that high yet, but that the government and the public must remain cautious as the number of cases is slightly increasing every week.

“Mabuti na na mag-ingat tayo kasi hindi natin masasabi na with certainty dahil nag-iiba ang anyo ng Covid dahil may subvariants. Alam natin mild siya pero hindi pa tayo ganun kasigurado kaya kailangan mag-iingat pa rin tayo (It is good to be careful because we cannot say with certainty that cases are only mild because the form of Covid changes with every subvariant. We know that it’s mild but we’re certain yet so we still need to be careful),” he added.

David reminded the public to continue their vigilance and comply with minimum public health protocols, while those who have not been vaccinated or boosted yet, to get their vaccinations, including boosters.