The seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate in Metro Manila dropped to 13.9% in Dec. 17 from 14.4% in Dec. 10, the OCTA Research Group reported Monday, Dec. 19.
OCTA Research Fellow Dr. Guido David attributed the drop to the “end: of the BQ.1 COVID-19 variant wave.
“Lumalakas na ulit ‘yung ating wall of immunity. Isa pang dahilan nito ay ‘yung vaccination nation ay pinagpapatuloy natin at mataas pa rin ‘yung bilang ng mga kababayan natin na kahit optional ‘yung facemasks ay nagfefacemasks pa rin, kumbaga natutor na tayo how to responsible for ourselves,” David said.
Meanwhile, Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Edsel Salvana reminded the public not to be complacent during the holiday season.
“Nakikita naman natin na mas relient naman po talaga ang ating healthcare system ngayon, the number of cases remains low, mababa rin po ang ating healthcare utilization, maraming reserved capacity at important na marami nang nabakunahan,” Salvana said.
“Malamang po talaga first [quarter] pa lang ng 2023 magmi-meet ang WHO [World Health Organization] on January para sabihin nila na hindi na ito emergency,” he added. –Report from Kenneth Paciente/KC-gb
