NCR’s weekly COVID-19 case average could hit below 100 around Christmas — OCTA

Metro Manila’s seven-day COVID-19 case average will continue to go down even as the holiday season nears, which is usually associated with increased population mobility, the OCTA Research said Tuesday.

In an update, the independent monitoring group said the seven-day average from November 16 to 22 was 293 cases, down 31% from the previous week, while the average daily attack rate was 2.07 per 100,000 population.

“The last time the seven-day average in the NCR (National Capital Region) was below 300 was from January 2 to 8,” OCTA fellow Guido David said on Twitter.

“Based on current trends, the seven-day average in the NCR could decrease to less than 200 by the first week of December and to less than 100 around Christmas. However, we must continue to adhere to minimum public health standards to sustain the trends.”

Metro Manila reported 168 new infections on Monday, bringing the number of active cases to 4,345, based on data from the Department of Health.

David said the healthcare utilization rate in the NCR “remained very low” at 24% while the ICU occupancy rate was “low” at 31%.

The reproduction number remained at 0.50 while the positivity rate was 2%.  — VBL, GMA News