INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The COVID-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) has been consistently decreasing since Oct. 1, dropping further to 11.6 percent as of Oct. 25 from the previous week’s 14.6 percent, independent monitor Octa Research said Wednesday.
In a Twitter post, Octa fellow Guido David said that the COVID reproduction number in Metro Manila also decreased from 0.98 to 0.74, as of Oct. 25.
“New COVID-19 cases in the NCR have been decreasing since October 1, when the NCR had 1,719 new cases based on DOH (Department of Health) data,” said David.
“The 7-day average of new cases decreased from 807 (October 12 to 18) to 491 (October 19 to 25), for a one-week growth rate of -39%,” he added.
Healthcare utilization rate in the capital region also remained low, decreasing to 29 percent from the previous week’s 35 percent, as well as Intensive Care Unit (ICU) occupancy which is currently at 23 percent.
He theorized that based on the COVID-19 trends, the June 2022 COVID-19 spike in Metro Manila was caused by the Omicron BA.5, while the wave in September may have been caused by the XBB Omicron subvariant or the XBC variant.
“Hopefully, the downward trend continues until the December holidays, but there is uncertainty in the trends because of the presence of other subvariants around the world,” he added.
NCR new Covid cases on downward trend. 7-day average down to less than 500. Positivity rate down to 11.6% from 14.6%, reproduction number decreased to 0.74. The September wave in NCR was likely driven by XBB/XBC. Let's hope the downtrend continues until the holidays. #Covid @dzbb pic.twitter.com/THOOiAiuDo
— Dr. Guido David (@iamguidodavid) October 26, 2022
The XBB Omicron subvariant is said to be highly immune-evasive and has been pinpointed as the main cause of the recent surge in Singapore.
The XBC variant, on the other hand, has been classified by the United Kingdom Health Security Agency as a variant under monitoring and investigation.
Based on the DOH’s COVID-19 tracker as of Oct. 25, active COVID-19 infections are currently at 943.
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