MANILA, Philippines — Sixteen out of Metro Manila’s 17 local government units (LGUs) are now classified low risk for COVID-19, independent analytics group Octa Research said Tuesday.
Octa Research fellow Dr. Guido David said that only Makati City remained at moderate risk.
“Sixteen out of 17 LGUs, base sa metrics namin, ay under low risk na sa Metro Manila. ‘Yung buong Metro Manila low risk at 4.9 percent na lang ‘yung positivity rate,” David said during the Laging Handa public briefing.
(Sixteen out of 17 LGUs in Metro Manila, based on our metrics, are under low risk. The whole Metro Manila is low risk with 4.9-percent positivity rate.)
He told INQUIRER.net that Makati is still at moderate risk due to its hospital utilization rate which is at 54 percent.
“The other LGU is at moderate risk. The reason they are at moderate risk is that the hospital utilization is just a bit higher at 54%, so it is not their fault,” David explained in a message.
The research fellow noted that COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila continue to decrease. However, the reproduction rate slowed down at -28 percent.
The capital region’s 4.9-percent is within the benchmark of the World Health Organization’s five percent or below.
Metro Manila’s average daily attack rate, or number of infected individuals per 100,000 population, is at 2.85.
Meanwhile, the reproduction number stood at 0.21, within health experts’ ideal number of less than one, an indication of less virus spread.
The Philippines registered 1,427 fresh COVID-19 infections on February 21. Of the figure, 332 were from Metro Manila.