Metro Manila's Covid-19 positivity rate rises to 22%; infections may peak 'next week' — OCTA

The seven-day positivity rate of Covid-19 in Metro Manila further increased to 22 percent on Dec. 19, from 16 percent on Dec. 12, the OCTA Research said on Thursday, Dec. 21.
OCTA Research Fellow Dr. Guido David said the current positivity trend in the region suggests that peak infections may occur in the coming week.
Positivity rate refers to the number of individuals who yielded positive results from those who were tested for Covid-19.
“The current trajectory suggests that peak infections in Metro Manila will occur next week,” David said, adding that “this can still change.”
Nearly a quarter of current PH Covid cases severe, critical
David also pointed out that severe and critical cases constituted 22 percent of active Covid cases in the country.
Meanwhile, 63 percent of active cases are mild or asymptomatic.
He added that the case fatality rate in the country in 2023 was 0.34 percent, or one in 300 cases.
The number of new Covid-19 cases has increased by 50 percent over the past week, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
“Our cases in the hospitals are not increasing. Even if our numbers of Covid-19 are reportedly higher, our hospitals are not yet getting filled up with cases of Covid-19,” DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa said in an ANC interview on Dec. 19.
DOH had recorded 440 new Covid-19 cases across the country as of Dec. 20, with David projecting 500 to 600 cases on Dec. 21.