OCTA: NCR stable but CDO, Bacolod, and Puerto Princesa now areas of concern

(FILE) In this photo taken on March 22, policemen guard the boundary of Cavite and Metro Manila as the national capital and its nearby provinces are placed under lockdown due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. INQUIRER file photo / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines —The OCTA Research Group on Saturday tagged three cities outside of Metro Manila as areas of concern after concerning spikes in the infections of COVID-19 in the area.

Identified by OCTA are the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Puerto Princesa, and Bacolod.

Calamba, Laguna is also experiencing a 21 percent spike in cases from the previous week, despite being part of the NCR Plus bubble, but OCTA did not voice too much concern on the city.

“While the trend in the NCR is stable, the trend in Laguna is not yet stable. Specifically, there was an increase in new cases in Calamba. Outside the NCR Bubble, the following are considered areas of concern due to a rise in new Covid-19 cases: Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, and Bacolod in Negros Occidental,” said OCTA in its bulletin.

OCTA’s data analysis showed that Puerto Princesa had a 78% spike in COVID-19 cases while Cagayan de Oro and Puerto Princesa logged 75% and 19% increases.

The growth rate of COVID-19 in Metro Manila is at -27%, the second-best among the 20 regions/provinces monitored behind Bulacan.

OCTA also expects that NCR will average less than 2,000 new cases per day by May 14.

/MUF