OCTA fellow: New COVID-19 cases seen to hit 1,600 on Rizal Day

The COVID-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region has risen to 8.4%, OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said on Wednesday.

On Twitter, David added that the seven-day positivity rate in Metro Manila had increased to 3.86%.

"This means new cases in the NCR are projected to hit more than 1,000 on December 30," said David.

"Nationwide, we are projecting 1,600 to 2,000 new cases on December 30," he added.

The World Health Organization said a positivity rate at 5% or higher indicated a high rate virus transmission.

Guido on Tuesday said the increase in positivity rate may not just be caused by the people's activities over the holidays.

"I think we should be concerned about this. It is possible that the increase is being driven by Omicron," Guido told GMA News.

The Department of Health on Wednesday attributed the series of increases in the number of new cases daily to increased mobility, family gatherings and delayed testing over the holiday season.

The DOH also mentioned the decreased compliance with minimum public health standards such as the wearing of face masks and frequent handwashing.

"While the increase is multifactorial, DOH notes that another equally important factor affecting the case trend is the decreased adherence to minimum public health standards, whether at home, in workplaces or in public places," the DOH said in a statement.

The DOH also said there was a low number of severe and moderate COVID-19 infections due to the country's increased vaccination.

"Moreover, the majority of those admitted severe and critical cases are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated," it added.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said he had yet to see any basis for the raising of alert levels in the country.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government said alert levels should not be raised, deferring the matter to the  Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

“The (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) has yet to meet on this," Año said.

"On our end, we will strictly implement the compliance to minimum public health standards and prevent super spreader events,” he added.

As this happened, the DOH detected 22 close contacts of the 4th Omicron case in the country. The Philippines has so far four cases of the more infectious Omicron coronavirus variant.—NB, GMA News