OCTA: NCR positivity rate at 14%, 2,500 new cases seen on New Year's Eve

The National Capital Region's new COVID-19 cases could soar to more than 2,000 on New Year's Eve after its positivity rate reached 14%, OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said Thursday.

On Twitter, David also said the Philippines' new infections might reach 2,500 on December 31.

"More than 2,000 new cases is possible on December 31, with more than 2,500 new cases nationwide," David said.

"The rate of increase is dramatic, and we should really comply strictly with minimum public health standards and reduce social and mass gatherings," he added.

Earlier, OCTA also warned that Metro Manila was already at moderate risk for COVID-19, with a reproduction number of 1.476

A reproduction number above 1 meant the virus was being transmitted exponentially.

OCTA on Wednesday night projected that the new cases on Thursday, Rizal Day, could hit 1,600.

The Department of Health's case bulletin earlier showed that the country's new coronavirus disease cases on Thursday reached 1,623.

Despite these developments, Philippines will still be under a less stringent Alert Level System 2 until January 15, 2022.

The DOH said an increase in cases was expected because of the holiday season attended by increased mobility.

In a statement, the health department urged the public not to downplay the COVID-19, adding that health protocols should still be followed.

"Sa pag-doble ng bilang ng mga naitalang bagong kaso ng COVID-19 sa nakalipas na dalawang araw, hinihikayat ng DOH ang publiko na gawin ang lahat ng ating makakaya upang maiwasan na maging panibagong 2020 ang taong 2022. Lahat tayo ay kumilos ng may lubos na pag-iingat na parang naririto na ang mas nakakahawang Omicron variant," read the statement.

[With the increase of new cases in the past two days, the DOH urged everyone not to let 2022 become 2020.  We should all be extra careful especially with the detection of the more contagious Omicron variant.] —NB, GMA News