Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 1) — Nearly nine out of 10 provinces and cities in the country have recorded an increase in new COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday.
The DOH said 88% of provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities have logged either a one-week or two-week positive growth rate in infections.
However, it noted that the average daily attack rate — or the number of daily new cases per 100,000 population — and health care utilization rate in the majority of these areas are still at low risk. Severe and critical cases, it added, remain less than 1.5% of total hospital admissions in the country..
For the June 25 to July 1 period, the department also reported that the average daily new cases nationwide was 914, or 53% higher than the week before.
It said a total of 6,399 more Filipinos tested positive for coronavirus during the week. Nearly half of this came from Metro Manila, which had 3,097 more infections.
“Most areas show sharp increase in cases with NCR (National Capital Region) reaching almost 450 cases daily,” the DOH wrote in its report.
The country’s positivity rate — or the percentage of infected people out of all tested — rose to 6%, while Metro Manila’s hit 8.2%.
The World Health Organization recommends the positivity rate to be less than 5% to say that viral transmission is under control.
Mindanao, meanwhile, showed a slight uptick in mid-June but is currently showing “signs of plateau” with 50 new cases a day, according to the DOH.
In a separate report, the independent OCTA Research group said besides the capital region, at least nine other areas registered a higher positivity rate from June 25 to June 29.
Among those listed by OCTA, Cavite saw the sharpest increase, from 5.9% to 13.2%.
The other areas in Luzon included Laguna (from 7.6% to 8.8%); Pampanga (from 5.9% to 7.7%); Batangas (from 5.6% to 6.6%); Benguet (from 3.2% to 6%); and Bulacan (from 2.9% to 4%).
In Visayas and Mindanao, the research group listed Iloilo (from 5.7% to 6.9%); Cebu (from 2.8% to 3.5%); and Davao del Sur (from 2.1% to 3.3%).
Meanwhile, OCTA said Rizal province’s positivity rate dipped from 11.9% to 9.7% during the same time period.
The total case tally since the pandemic began is at over 3.7 million, of which 0.23% or 8,706 are active cases or currently ill patients, based on DOH figures.
Recoveries are at over 3.69 million after 3,761 more were added in the past week. The death toll, on the other hand, reached 60,565 after another 58 fatalities were confirmed.
