Metro Manila’s COVID-19 positivity rate climbs to 22.4% – monitor

FILE PHOTO: Metro Manila’s COVID-19 positivity rate is at 22.4% as of December 21, 2023, according to a pandemic monitoring group on December 23. The image was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/Handout via REUTERS.

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila’s COVID-19 positivity rate grew to 22.4 percent as of December 21, a pandemic monitoring group said Saturday.

“Infections seem to be peaking as per projections. However, infections are likely to spread to other provinces,” Octa Research fellow Guido David wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Last week, Octa Research said the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus was at 18.4 percent as of December 14. This rate is above the five percent World Health Organization threshold marking viral transmission is under control.

READ: COVID-19 positivity rate in PH hits 18.1% as of Dec 22 – Octa Research

Based on the coronavirus tracker of the Department of Health (DOH), Metro Manila has posted 1,323,813 coronavirus infections since the pandemic hit in 2020. The number is part of the 4,132,200 nationwide tally as of December 22.

The DOH tracker also indicated that the capital region logged 235 new COVID-19 cases as of Friday, increasing its total active infections to 1,929.

Most of the new cases were recorded in Quezon City, Makati, Pasig, Manila, and Taguig, according to the DOH tracker, which also noted that the second and third-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 infections were listed in Metro Manila’s neighboring regions: Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) and Central Luzon, respectively.