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ECQ 'effective,' reproduction rate in NCR down to 1.24 -- OCTA

Philippines

ECQ 'effective,' reproduction rate in NCR down to 1.24 -- OCTA

By Noreen Jazul

The OCTA Research Group said the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region Plus the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal (NCR-plus) was “effective.”

This photo taken on April 6, 2021, shows a man wearing personal protective equipment walking into a makeshift ward built for COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Manila.
(Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)

In an interview with DZMM on Monday, OCTA fellow Dr. David Guido said the ECQ has brought down the reproduction number in Metro Manila from 1.88 to 1.24.

While there’s no “flattening of the curve” yet in the NCR, Guido said OCTA is expecting a downward trend in cases by next week.

“We’re hoping na bumaba na siya to one by next week, by Sunday. Pag ganon, magsisimula na talaga tayo sa downward trend sa NCR (We’re hoping that the reproduction number will decrease to one by next week, by Sunday. If that happens, the downward trend in NCR will begin),” Guido told DZMM.

Guido also said the one-week growth rate in NCR went down to 16 percent.

The expert said that while NCR was already placed under a less restrictive quarantine level, OCTA still sees a continuous decrease in NCR's reproduction number.

On Sunday, Malacanang placed NCR Plus under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from April 12 to April 30, 2021.

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