New Philippine COVID-19 cases to reach 6,000 on January 4 –OCTA

New Philippine COVID-19 infections are expected to reach 6,000 on January 4 as Metro Manila's positivity rate climbed to 34.7%, OCTA Research said Monday.

On Twitter, Dr. Guido David said even with the low testing capacity, new cases in Metro Manila may also increase to 5,000.

"Even with lower testing, there is a possibility that the country may record 5000 up to 6000 new cases on January 4, with 4000 to 5000 in the NCR," said David.

He said the positivity rate in Metro Manila went up to 34.7% from 28.7%.

"The previous high in positivity rate was 29.6% on April 2, 2021," he added.

OCTA had said Metro Manila's hospital bed utilization rate also increased by 41%. 

It said the number of occupied hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in NCR rose from 1,381 on December 24 to 1,942 on December 31.

As the number of infections rose, the national government placed Metro Manila under Alert Level 3 from January 3 to January 15, 2022 which imposed stricter restrictions in establishments and some services. 

The Philippines is now tagged as high-risk due to the sudden spike of cases, the Department of Health earlier said. — DVM, GMA News