Covid-19 positivity in Metro Manila spikes anew

THE Covid-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region or Metro Manila has spiked in just one week, OCTA Research said.

Infographics shared by OCTA Research senior fellow Dr. Guido David showed Metro Manila’s positivity rate going up to 9.2 percent on November 22, from 7.4 percent last November 15.

The last time the Covid positivity rate reached that level was on October 25.

David said the rise is not alarming but urged the public to remain vigilant against the possibility of an increase in cases.

He also said that unless the trends shift, he sees “another wave of infections” in the region with the possibility of an increase in the next few weeks.

“But this is not guaranteed,” David said in a briefing Thursday.

David noted that the waves in June and September were caused by new Omicron subvariants.

He added that the spike could be caused by a new subvariant of Omicron, the BQ.1.1, that is prevalent in some countries.

David said he expects cases in Metro Manila to increase by around 300 to 400 per day in December.

In the same briefing, Dr. Jose Rene de Grano of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines said he does not see a sharp increase in admissions in their member hospitals in the region.

“Because the symptoms of the new subvariants are mild to moderate, we think that those who are testing positive, whether registered or not, do not admit in hospitals unless they have comorbidities,” de Grano said.

He added that the hospital utilization rate in their member hospitals across the country remains low, except

in Western and Central Visayas, where utilization is over 25 percent. The Department of Health had earlier said it has stopped using positivity rates as a basis for determining the number of infections and now relies on the hospital utilization rate and bed capacity.