THE CAPITAL region Metro Manila recorded the most number of new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections among all areas nationwide on Dec. 17, pandemic monitoring group OCTA said on Sunday.
The National Capital Region (NCR), whose positivity rate had increased recently, accounted for 471 of the 1,196 cases recorded on Saturday, OCTA fellow Fredegusto P. David said in a report, citing data from the Department of Health (DoH).
Metro Manila was followed by nearby provinces such as Cavite with 75 cases, Rizal with 66, Laguna with 53, and Bulacan with 52 cases.
Cebu in central Philippines was also on the list with 36 cases, followed by Isabela with 26, Iloilo with 24, Pangasinan and Tarlac with 22 each, and Batangas with 19 cases.
In November, OCTA fellow Fredegusto P. David told BusinessWorld that the country might record as many as 3,000 daily COVID-19 infections in December as Filipinos hold holiday activities.
He said daily cases in the country might significantly increase if there are threats from new subvariants.
The DoH had said Filipinos should learn to live with the virus in the “new normal,” noting that “variants will continue to emerge.”
“The DoH likewise underscored that continued strengthening of existing management and surveillance system is key to living with COVID-19 in the new normal,” it said in a November statement. “We have to start demystifying variants. Viruses naturally mutate with continued transmission–this is a natural occurrence.”
Mr. Marcos, 64, said in his first address to Congress in July that the Philippines would no longer enforce lockdowns.
More than 90% of Filipinos are satisfied with the Marcos administration’s pandemic response, according to a recent OCTA survey.
The poll conducted from Oct. 23 to 27 showed nine out of 10 Filipinos, or 92% of adults, “approve” the National Government’s COVID-19 prevention efforts.
The approval rating increased by 10% since the last OCTA survey conducted in March 2022. The survey also saw an increase in all major areas and socio-economic classes.
However, a decrease in approval rating was observed in September 2021 and February 2022 survey results, OCTA said, citing its trend analysis.
“Coincidentally, there were periods when COVID-19 surges occurred, notably last August 2021 and January 2022, respectively.”
The pollster interviewed 1,200 male and female probability respondents aged 18 years and above from AB, C, D and E classes. The survey had a margin of error ±3 percent.
Globally, the number of new weekly cases remained stable at +2% during the week of Dec. 5 to 11 as compared to the previous week, with over 3.3 million new cases reported, the World Health Organization said in a weekly report posted on Dec. 14.
The number of new weekly deaths increased by more than 10% compared to the previous week, with over 9,700 new deaths reported, it said. As of Dec. 11, over 645 million confirmed cases and over 6.6 million deaths have been reported globally. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza