Pasay Covid cases jump by 160%
COVID-19 cases in Pasay City rose by 160 percent in just a week as a coronavirus tracking firm noted a steady rise of infections in Metro Manila.
Pasay, which had 31 cases in the previous reporting week, tallied 86 cases in the current reporting week, according to Octa Research.
As many as 55 of Pasay’s 201 barangay (villages) are under localized lockdown.
The surge comes as 2,651 new Covid-19 cases were recorded on Friday in the country, the highest one-day increase since October 19, 2020, when there were 2,604 cases.
In its weekly update dated February 25, Octa Research said while localized lockdowns might have helped slow the spread of the virus, the uptrend continues in Metro Manila.
The region had a reproduction number (R0) of 1.32 during the week of February 16 to 22, a huge spike from the R0 of 1.00 during the week of February 9 to15
Octa Fellow Dr. Guido David told The Manila Times that in Thursday’s case report, Metro Manila logged 904 new cases, the highest since October.
The report also noted that the new cases were expected to rise briefly, with a positivity rate of 5 percent in the same period, which could pose a “serious” threat to the region, David said.
Spikes of up to 40 percent were also reported in the cities of Malabon, Manila, Makati, Taguig, Parañaque and Marikina, with Makati having the highest hospital occupancy at 72 percent.
Despite the overall rise, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela and Pasig had good Covid-19 case indicators, with Mandaluyong avoiding a case increase but also reporting a low daily attack rate, low hospital rate of 5-percent utilization and low positivity rate of 2 percent, David said.
Outside of Metro Manila, the daily caseload in Cebu City has started to drop. The city has the biggest number of new cases per day in the country at 220 and a high positivity rate of 16 percent.
Other cities in Cebu province with Covid-19 case issues include Mandaue City, with a slight increase in daily cases, and Lapu-Lapu City, with a hospital utilization rate of 78 percent, the highest among all local government units in the Octa report.