The OCTA Research Team anticipated that the daily Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases may reach 6,000 in the Philippines by the end of March.
This was the projection of the group based on the current reproduction number of Metro Manila that is 1.66 where 3,000 cases are recorded in the National Capital Region (NCR).
“Ngayon ang ating reproduction number 1.66 ay malapit na rin doon sa reproduction number noong time ng August last year (Currently our reproduction number is 1.66, close to the reproduction number of August 2020),” Prof. Butch Ong pointed out.
According to the OCTA Team, the daily cases have grown faster in the said region and recorded 1,464 cases on Saturday.
The Philippines also had a record-high of 3,439 new cases in the past 5 months. The group identified Pasay, Makati, Malabon, and Navotas as high-risk areas due to the increase of the daily attack rate.
The research group suggested the implementation of a more stringent localized response and the continuous compliance with the minimum health protocols to prevent the further spread of the virus.
“The (earlier) we act, the better. We can only base our decisions on what we have learned in the past and what we are seeing now.”
–Report from Mark Fetalco
