By Civ Alonzo-Cruz
The OCTA Research group reminded the public to remain vigilant and to not be complacent this holiday season as it noted a slight increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR), as per data report issued on Friday morning, Dec. 24.
In a report posted in his social media account, OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said the seven-day positivity rate in NCR increased to 0.77 in Dec.16-22 from its lowest positivity rate of 0.62 logged in Dec.12-18. The report stated that the uptick in positivity rate may be due to the holidays, as families and friends tend to have reunions during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
12.24.21. We are seeing an uptick in the positivity rate in the NCR but this may be due to the holidays. We will have more clarity by January 2022. Stay safe everyone! @dzbb @dzrhnews @DZAR1026 @NewsRmn @allangatus @News5PH @PhilstarNews @dwiz882 @dzme_1530khz @FEBC_ph @EagleNews pic.twitter.com/OTy21wAqsX
— Dr. Guido David (@iamguidodavid) December 24, 2021
“This uptick in the positivity rate may be dismissed as merely an effect of the holidays. On the other hand, this could also be the beginning of a change in the trend,” David said.
“My interpretation at this time is we are seeing a holiday uptick due to the increased number of social gatherings, and this is not a cause for panic, but we must continue to follow public health standards while enjoying the holiday,” he added.
He also released a list of local government units (LGUs) with the highest cases reported on Thursday, Dec. 23. Out of the 16 LGUs listed, six are from NCR led by San Juan City and Las Piñas City, which are both tied with 18 cases.
LGUs with the highest cases on 12.23.21. Data was automatically extracted from DOH DataDrop. Any discrepancies in data due to error, reporting lag etc should be addressed to DOH @dzbb @allangatus @News5PH @dzrhnews @DZAR1026 @NewsRmn @dwiz882 @ABSCBNNews @PhilstarNews @roribabyko pic.twitter.com/eGeM2xroKL
— Dr. Guido David (@iamguidodavid) December 24, 2021
In a separate tweet, David released a list of regions with the most number of new COVID-19 infections on Dec. 24. Metro Manila tops the list with 95 reported new cases.
The list was extracted by OCTA from the Department of Health (DOH) Data Drop.
Provinces with the most new cases on 12.23.21. Data was automatically extracted from DOH DataDrop. Any discrepancies in data due to error, reporting lag etc should be addressed to DOH. @dzbb @allangatus @News5PH @dzrhnews @DZAR1026 @NewsRmn @ABSCBNNews @PHINewsNet1 @dwiz882 pic.twitter.com/pJFwC38geC
— Dr. Guido David (@iamguidodavid) December 24, 2021
David said the group will be unable to have a clear situation until the first week of January due to decreased testing over the holidays season. He said that OCTA will re-evaluate the situation in one to two weeks.
Meanwhile, the DOH on Friday logged 310 new COVID-19 cases. Based on its latest bulletin, the nationwide tally is now at 2,838,032 with 9,321 active cases. The country’s COVID-19 positivity rate was at 1.4%, slightly higher than the 1.1% positivity rate recorded on Thursday. -rir
