FILE PHOTO: Traffic is light at a usually busy section of the city center of Cagayan de Oro as residents choose to stay home due to quarantine restrictions and the rising cases of COVID-19 in the regional capital of Northern Mindanao. —JIGGER J. JERUSALEM
MANILA, Philippines — The OCTA Research on Monday said its monitoring still registered critical levels of infection rate, intensive care unit (ICU) utilization, and positivity rate in Cagayan de Oro, which means it is still at a “critical risk” for COVID-19.
According to the latest report of the independent pandemic monitor, Cagayan de Oro’s infection rate is currently at 1.46, with its daily reported COVID-19 cases now averaging at 155 compared to the past week’s 132.
Cagayan de Oro’s hospital bed utilization rate is also at a critical level at 85 percent while its ICU utilization rate is at 86 percent. Its virus positivity rate — for July 25 to 31 — is at 30 percent, OCTA added.
Cebu City, however, leads the list of local government units (LGUs) with the most number of daily COVID-19 cases outside Metro Manila.
Davao City is ranked second but is no longer at “high risk” as OCTA explained that it is now experiencing a downward trend in its infection rate, with its reproduction number now only at 0.82.
“Other high-risk LGUs with a significant number of cases include: General Santos, Iloilo City, Laoag, Bacoor, and Dasmariñas,” said OCTA.
Meanwhile, OCTA recorded a “serious surge” of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, recording an average of 1,394 daily cases in the past seven days.
READ: OCTA notes NCR ‘serious surge’; hints Delta variant community transmission
According to OCTA, this may indicate the community transmission of the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 in the nation’s capital region.
A member of the Department of Health’s (DOH) Technical Advisory Group, however, said OCTA’s report is “problematic” as it is invalid because it is based on “incomplete” and “erroneous” data.
The DOH said nationwide COVID-19 cases total 1,605,762 as of August 2. Of the number, 62,615 are tagged as active cases while 1,515,054 managed to recover from the disease. The country’s COVID-19 casualties stood at 28,093.
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