OCTA Research sees rise in Zamboanga City’s daily COVID-19 cases

Zamboanga City Hall —JULIE S. ALIPALA

MANILA, Philippines — Zamboanga City has emerged as the local government unit (LGU) with the highest number of new COVID-19 cases outside Metro Manila the past week, the OCTA Research team said Wednesday.

In its latest report, OCTA Research said Zamboanga City recorded an average of 151 new cases daily from May 5 to May 11, a 47 percent increase compared to the previous week.

Zamboanga City is already under stricter measures or a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until May 15.

OCTA Research also flagged Puerto Princesa City in Palawan after it saw a 35 percent one-week growth to 60 new cases daily during the same period.

Batangas City and Cagayan de Oro meanwhile also saw a rise in new cases from the previous week with 15 percent and 13 percent growth in cases, respectively.

“Tuguegarao, Baguio City, and Puerto Princesa had average daily attack rates (ADAR) greater than 20 per 100,000 [population],” the group noted.

The Department of Health classifies LGUs with ADAR higher than 10 per 100,000 population as high risk.

Meanwhile, the average number of new COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila is now less than 2,000 which OCTA said is “trending in the right direction.”

On a national scale, OCTA said the seven-day average of new infections in the Philippines is at 6,522, or 16 percent lower compared to the previous week.

/MUF