AFTER three months, the COVID-19 positivity rate of the National Capital Region (NCR) is back to the “low” classification level, according to the independent OCTA Research group.
Positivity rate is the percentage of people who test positive for the virus, out of the overall number of those who have been tested.
The positivity rate of 4.9 percent based on OCTA’s July 1 data is lower than the 6 percent “moderate” positivity rate in Metro Manila as of June 24.
The last time Metro Manila had a “low” positivity rate was in April 1, at 4.4 percent.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has set the threshold for positivity rate for COVID-19 at 5 percent, which means transmission is under control.
Also dropping from to “low” from “moderate” classification are Laguna (to 5% from 7.6%) and Rizal (to 4.7% from 7.3%).
Ten provinces also saw declining numbers but stayed in the “moderate” level. These are Bulacan (from 6.7% to 5.5%), Cagayan (16.7% to 15.3%), Camarines Sur (18.8% to 14.5%), Cavite (8.4% to 6.6%), La Union (12.4% to 9.7%), Oriental Mindoro (8% to 5.3%), Pampanga (18.3% to 14.2%), Pangasinan (18.5% to 15.4%), Quezon (9.5% to 5.8%), and Zambales (9.5% to 6%).
Bataan (21.7% to 20.3%) and Isabela (29.9% to 29.4%) also saw drops in numbers but remained at the “high” classification rate.
Seeing upticks in their “moderate” positivity rates are Batangas (from 5.3% to 5.6%), Benguet (15.3% to 15.4%), Palawan (10.1% to 13.3%), and Tarlac (15% to 15.5%).
The Department of Health, in a bulletin, said the average number of COVID-19 cases nationwide dropped to below 400, at an average of 392 cases daily for the period June 26 to July 2.
“This is 20 percent lower than cases reported from June 19 to 25,” said the DOH.
In its June 26 case bulletin, the DOH said the country has an average of 492 cases daily for the period of June 19 to 25.
In total, the last seven days recorded 2,747 COVID-19 cases.
There were 32 additional severe and critical cases during the past week, and two deaths were recorded.
The DOH said there were 442 severe and critical cases in the country as of July 2.
Of the total severe and critical cases, the report showed that 273 of them are occupying ICU beds.
The number of occupied ICU beds accounted for the 13.7% of the 1,998 total nationwide.
There were 3,010 COVID-19 patients occupying COVID-19 beds, or 17.7% of the 17,026 total COVID-19 beds allocated nationwide.
