COVID-19 growth rate in Metro Manila drops to 5%, cases may peak next week — Octa

MANILA, Philippines — COVID-19 growth rate in Metro Manila slid down to five percent this week, indicating that cases in the capital region may peak next week, independent analytics group Octa Research said on Wednesday.

Octa Research fellow Dr. Guido David said the COVID-19 growth rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) dropped to 5% as of August 9 from 14% last August 2.

The reproduction number, meanwhile, went down to 1.17 as of August 6 from 1.24 last August 2.

New COVID-19 infections recorded on August 8 and 9 have also gone lower to to 1,452 and 828, respectively.

The positivity rate in the capital region likewise dipped from 17.4 percent to 15.9 percent.

“This once again gives us hope that the peak of the wave in the NCR may occur by next week (no guarantees, of course),” David posted on Twitter.