New Covid-19 infections in Metro Manila rose by 71 percent over the past week, the OCTA Research Group said on Saturday, June 18.
In an update shared on Twitter, OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said that Metro Manila averaged 176 cases daily during the June 11 to 17 monitoring period.
This translates to a 71 percent increase from the 103 cases daily average reported during the previous week.
“The NCR (National Capital Region) reported 282 new cases on June 17, 2022, based on DOH (Department of Health) data. With the exception of April 3–when there was a high number due to possible backlog—this is the highest number of new cases since February 26, 2022,” David added.
He noted that Metro Manila’s average daily attack rate remained at 1.24.
Meanwhile, the region’s reproduction number, or the average number of secondary infections by each infected individual, has increased to 1.80 on June 14, from 1.40 on June 7.
Metro Manila’s positivity rate, which refers to the number of individuals who yielded positive results from among those who have been tested for Covid-19, has also increased to 3.7 percent.
While cases have been increasing, David noted that hospital bed utilization and ICU utilization for Covid patients remained low at 22 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
“So far, the numbers we are seeing have been in line with our projections: a weak surge and no escalation of alert levels or restrictions because we expect our healthcare system will be able to manage the relatively low number of hospitalizations,” he pointed out.
“Having said that, if we want to prevent infection, especially to the vulnerable population, we should practice personal responsibility and continue to follow health protocols, and get booster shots,” he said.