Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 2) — The rate of people testing positive for COVID-19 in Metro Manila climbed to 18.8% on May 1, a member of the independent OCTA Research group said Tuesday.
In his latest report, Guido David said the capital region’s weekly positivity rate spiked by 7.1 points from the 11.7% recorded on April 24.
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NCR 7-day positivity rate increased to 18.8% as of May 1, 2023. It was at 11.7% on April 24. #COVID19 #covid_19 #Arcturus @dzbb @DZAR1026 @ali_sotto @DrMichaelTee @docbenjisays pic.twitter.com/46Ayou8kBg
— Dr. Guido David (@iamguidodavid) May 2, 2023
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David previously predicted that Metro Manila’s positivity rate would increase further, even up to 20%.
The positivity rate refers to the percentage of tested people with positive results. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a positivity rate benchmark of below 5%.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), there were 4,456 new COVID-19 cases recorded from April 24 to 30, with an average of 637 cases daily. This is 42% higher than the 3,148 cases recorded in the previous week.
Health officials said the rise in COVID-19 cases was due to a \”multitude of factors,\” such as the virus’s mutation and increased mobility.
The DOH further said that the country’s average daily COVID-19 cases may remain at 600 until June.
A new highly transmissible Omicron sublineage called Arcturus is now found in over 30 countries and has been tagged by the WHO as a “variant of interest.”
