COVID positivity rate in Metro Manila eased to 21% — OCTA

THE WEEKLY coronavirus infection rate in Metro Manila fell by four percentage points to 21% on May 28 from a week earlier, according to the OCTA Research Group.

The hospital occupancy rate slightly increased to 29.1% from 29.8%, OCTA fellow Fredegusto P. David tweeted on Tuesday.

Despite the decline in people testing positive for the virus in Metro Manila, there have been increases in several provinces in Luzon, he said.

The national positivity rate was 22.4%, Mr. David said.

Oriental Mindoro had the highest positivity rate increase at 55% from 33%, followed by Bataan at 38% from 21%, Tarlac at 21% from 15% and Cagayan at 27% from 21%, according to the OCTA report.

Areas with the largest declines were Isabela at 46% from 67%, Laguna at 29% from 25% and Batangas at 30% from 36%. The positivity rates remained high in most of Luzon, he added.

The Philippines posted 11,667 coronavirus infections in the past week, with a daily average of 105, the Department of Health said in a bulletin on Monday.

In its weekly COVID-19 report released on May 25, the World Health Organization (WHO) said globally, almost 2.3 million new cases and more than 15,000 deaths were reported on April 24 to May 21, 21% and 17% lower than in the past 28 days.

The coronavirus had sickened more than 766 million and killed about 6.9 million people globally as of May 21, more than 766 million, the WHO said.  — John Victor D. Ordoñez