Metro Manila can shift to Alert Level 1 on March 1: OCTA

OCTA Research Group believes the National Capital Region (NCR) is ready for the lowest COVID-19 alert level.

“Sa palagay namin, sa perspective ng numbers ay mukhang nando’n na tayo. Baka by next week, by March 1, puwede nang ibaba to Alert Level 1,”said OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David.

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According to OCTA, the positivity rate in NCR is only 4.9 percent, lower than the World Health Organization benchmark of 5 percent for the spread of COVID in an area.

The positivity rate is the number of positives compared to those tested.

According to OCTA, the average daily attack rate in Manila is also only 2.85, which means that only two people test positive for COVID-19 per 1,000 people.

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According to the Department of Health, all island groups in the Philippines are showing a downward trend regarding COVID-19 cases.

It is said that less than 1,000 new cases of the disease have been recorded in all areas this week.

Based on DOH data, an average of about 35,000 cases per day were recorded during the height of the surge due to the omicron variant.

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This is much more than the nearly 21,000 at the height of the delta surge and 11,000 when the alpha and beta variants spread last year.

Metro Manila can shift to Alert Level 1 on March 1: OCTA

But unlike the alpha and beta surge, which took seven weeks before the cases dropped, and the delta surge, which took 15 weeks to wait, just three weeks after the omicron spread, the number of victims gradually dropped.

Of those admitted to the hospital for this omicron surge, more experienced mild and moderate COVID-19. Only 12 to 15 percent of hospital admissions are severe and critical conditions.

The Palace has a reminder of the improving situation of COVID-19 in the Philippines.

“Bagaman may dahilan ang marami para mawala ang pangamba dahil malaki na ang kabawasan ng paghihigpit, nais naming iparating sa inyo na hindi pa po tapos ang laban kontra COVID-19,” said acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles.

As of Tuesday, the Philippines recorded 1,019 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest number of additional cases this year.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 3,654,284, of which 56,668 are active cases.

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