COVID-19 surge possibly slowing down in Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan; rising in other areas

MANILA, Philippines — The surge of COVID-19 cases could be slowing down in Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan but is still in its early stages in several provinces, independent analytics group OCTA Research said Saturday.

“The surge may be slowing down in Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan. It is still maturing in Laguna, Pampanga and Benguet,” OCTA Research fellow Guido David said over Twitter.

“It is still accelerating in Batangas and Isabela. In Cebu, Pangasinan, Quezon, Iloilo, Camarines Sur, Davao del Sur and Negros Occidental, the surge is still in its early stages, but likely to be accelerating soon,” he added.

David, however, pointed out that there is still uncertainty in the projections due to possible backlog and an overwhelmed testing system.

Based on data shared by David, Cavite registered a 258 percent one-week growth rate, while Rizal had 254 percent, and Bulacan posted 295 percent.

Cavite had an average of 2,399 new COVID-19 cases from January 8 to 14, while Rizal had 1,903, and Bulacan had 1,733.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said the Department of Health has noted a spike in COVID-19 cases in other Luzon regions outside Metro Manila, such as Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Central Luzon, Ilocos region, and Cagayan Valley.

Meanwhile, David noted that the daily growth rate of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila is “steadily declining.”

The country currently has 265,509 active cases of COVID-19, including 37,207 cases recorded on Friday.

However, the Department of Health earlier said that the actual number of individuals with COVID-19 could be higher than what is being reported, since the daily tally does not include those who test positive in antigen tests.

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