Another wave of COVID-19 is expected to hit the National Capital Region (NCR) of the Philippines after the report of a 9.2% increase in the positivity rate.
OCTA Research, an independent monitoring group in the Philippines stated last Thursday that it expects another wave as a spike in COVID-19 cases has been seen. Dr David Guido, an OCTA fellow, stated the NCR’s COVID-19 positivity rate within the span of seven days rose from 7.4% on 15 Nov 2022 to 9.2% on 22 Nov 2022.
Dr David added that if the rates continue to rise and progress NCR is to expect another wave of infections similar to the situation that occurred in Jun 2022. It could be an indication of a mini-surge or a surge itself.
The positivity rate refers to the percentage of people that tests positive among all who have been tested. The more people get tested, the more the rate of positivity is determined.
According to Dr David at the moment they can’t tell what the reason is behind the rise as they have only observed the uptick. They would have to see if it will continue on. However, in other areas, they haven’t seen the cases rising yet. Although, there are areas where they are seeing a significant increase in the positivity rate.
The Department of Health (DOH) reported on Wednesday the highest number of cases reported in the NCR in the past two weeks – 3,382. These numbers were followed by Calabarzon with 1,973 cases, Western Visayas with 1,444, Central Luzon with 1,131 and Central Visayas with 1,078.
The possible entry of the new COVID-19 Omicron sublineage BQ.1 is being monitored. This is after the report of cases increasing in the United States and in Europe.
According to DOH, they will be conducting another nationwide three-day COVID-19 vaccination drive in December. This is in hopes to increase the number of people vaccinated with boosters, especially among Filipino children. At the moment, the second booster dose is only available for frontline or healthcare workers, senior citizens and those with comorbidities.
