THE number of new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases recorded in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Iloilo has significantly increased over the last seven days, said Octa Research Group Wednesday, May 19, 2021.
Octa’s monitoring report released May 19 showed Cagayan de Oro City posting 94 new cases, which is 52 percent higher than the cases reported in the previous week.
Davao City had 61 additional cases, or a 36 percent increase from previous week, while Iloilo City recorded a 99 percent increase with 58 new infections.
Zamboanga City, meanwhile, remained to be the local government unit (LGU) outside the National Capital Region (NCR) with the highest number of new cases, with 158. But it only grew by four percent compared to last week’s new cases, said Octa.
Bacolod City also posted a three percent increase in new Covid-19 cases, with 62, while Baguio City’s new cases were 23 percent down from the previous week.
In the entire Philippines, the Covid-19 reproduction number over the past week stood at 0.80, with NCR posting 0.54.
Reproduction number is used to reflect how infectious Covid-19 is, said the Department of Health (DOH). It refers to the average number of individuals a coronavirus-positive person has infected. A lower number indicates less transmission.
Octa noted that most LGUs within the NCR bubble are on a downward trend in new Covid-19 cases.
“The most current seven-day average of daily new Covid-19 cases in the Philippines is 5,834, which is 11 percent lower compared to the previous week,” it said.
It also reported that the NCR, as of May 11 to 17, has an average daily attack rate (Adar) of 9.91 per 100,000, which is classified as at moderate risk.
Puerto Princesa had a weekly positivity rate of 87 percent as of May 16, the independent research group added.
Octa, an independent and inter-disciplinary research group, noted that the data used in its report are obtained from the DOH Covid Data Drop.