INDEPENDENT monitoring group OCTA yesterday said 14 areas in the country have “very high” coronavirus disease (COVID-19) positivity rates.
In a social media post on Sunday morning, OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said Albay, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Isabela, La Union, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Rizal, Tarlac, and Zambales all posted more than 20 percent one-week positivity rate as of July 29.
Positivity rate refers to the percentage of people who were found positive for COVID-19 among the total number of individuals tested for the presence of the virus.
According to David, Isabela’s positivity rate was the highest after it registered 36.3 percent on Friday, compared to 25.7 percent on July 23.
Isabela was followed by Tarlac with 31.6 percent, Laguna with 30.9 percent, Camarines Sur with 28.4 percent, Quezon with 27.5 percent, Zambales with 27.2 percent, Cavite with 27.1 percent.
Also with very high positivity rates were the provinces of Nueva Ecija with 25.8 percent, Albay with 25.4 percent, Pampanga with 23.2 percent, Cagayan with 22.7 percent, Rizal with 21.7 percent, Pangasinan with 21 percent, and La Union with 20.9 percent.
Guido said the positivity rate in the National Capital Region climbed to 15 percent on July 29 from 14.2 percent on July 23.
The Department of Health on Saturday logged 3, 996 new COVID cases, bringing to 33,509 the active throughout the country.
The DOH data showed that Metro Manila recorded 13,837 new cases in the recent two weeks, followed by Calabarzon with 9,069; Central Luzon with 4,273; Western Visayas with 2,482; and Central Visayas with 1,725.
During the same period, the DOH recorded 3,121 recoveries and one new death, bringing the death toll to 60,719.
Also during the weekend, the DOH announced the COVID-19 alert levels in the country for the period August 1 until 15.
Metro Manila will stay under Alert Level 1, along with Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Baguio City in the Cordillera Administrative Region; Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, and Dagupan City in the Ilocos Region; Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and City of Santiago in Cagayan Valley Region; Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Angeles City, and Olongapo City in Central Luzon; Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Lucena City in the Calabarzon region; Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, and Puerto Princesa City in the Mimaropa region; and Albay, Catanduanes, Naga City, and Sorsogon in the Bicol region.
In Visayas, seven cities and eight provinces are under Alert Level 1, while in Mindanao, six cities and nine provinces are under the same alert level.
The DOH also placed one city and 32 provinces under Alert Level 2 due to high numbers of COVID-19 infections.
