Octa sees 2,000 coronavirus cases in NCR, 2,500 nationwide

GIVEN the trend in recent days, the independent Octa Research is expecting coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the Philippines to rise to around 2,500, with 2,000 coming from the National Capital Region (NCR).

In a social media post, Octa fellow Guido David said they are projecting that cases will sharply increase in the country, more so in Metro Manila.

“New Covid-19 cases in the NCR will likely continue to increase… The rate of increase is dramatic,” said David.

“More than 2,000 new cases is possible on December 31, with more than 2,500 new cases nationwide,” he added.

He said this is because of the rise in the region’s positivity rate at over 10 percent.

“The positivity rate in the NCR hits more than 14 percent,” said David.

Positivity rate is defined as the percentage of all Covid-19 tests performed that turn out positive.

The positivity rate of five percent or below is considered “acceptable” for the World Health Organization.

With the New Year celebration set Saturday, Octa reiterated its call for everyone to celebrate the coming of 2022 in a safe manner.

“We should really comply strictly with minimum public health standards and reduce social and mass gatherings,” David said. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)