NEW coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases are on an upswing in Metro Manila, according to the independent OCTA Research, even as it said that the increase is “very slow at this time.”
In a social media post, OCTA fellow Guido David said: “An uptick in cases is observed in the NCR (National Capital Region), but the rate of increase in new COVID-19 cases is very slow at this time.”
David said the daily average of new COVID-19 infections in the NCR has increased by two percent, or from 72 (May 16 to 22) to 74 (May 23 to 29, 2022).
The one-week average daily attack rate (ADAR) similarly increased from 0.51 to 0.52.
The reproduction number also rose from 1.02 to 1.08 in a span of seven days.
David said the positivity rate also increased from 1.2 percent to 1.4 percent using an average of 11,047 tests per day.
Despite this, David said the risk classification in Metro Manila remains low.
“Overall, NCR remains at low risk,” he said.
In a televised public briefing, the OCTA member said there are several possible factors that caused the uptick in cases.
“It is possible that it is caused by increased mobility, waning immunity, and presence of new sub-variants in the country. All of these are possible factors why there is an uptick,” said David.
He, however, said that it is still too early to determine if the uptick will transform into a new wave of COVID-19 cases.
In such a scenario, David did not rule out the possibility that the average new cases may increase to “a few hundreds” in a day.
“Will the increase continue? We cannot tell yet. It can go up to a few hundred cases per day or even 1,000. These are scenarios that are still not clear,” he said.
For now, he said the public should continue to follow health protocols and get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.
The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said that the number of new COVID-19 cases daily over the past seven days is now closer to the 200-mark.
Based on the DOH COVID-19 Case Bulletin, there was an average of 188 daily average cases for the period of May 23 to 29.
“This is 8.8 percent higher than cases reported from May 16 to 22,” said the DOH.
In total, the last seven days recorded a total of 1,317 COVID-19 cases.
There were 12 additional severe and critical cases during the past week, but there were zero deaths reported during the period.
Meanwhile, the DOH reported that there are currently 679 severe and critical cases in the country as of May 29.
Of the total severe and critical cases, the report showed that 459 of them are occupying ICU beds, accounting for 16.8 percent of the 2,730 total nationwide.
On the other hand, there are 4,073 COVID-19 patients that are occupying COVID-19 beds, which is 17.2 percent of the 23,612 total COVID-19 beds allocated nationwide.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of Spikevax COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna for kids 6 to 11 years old.
“The Spikevax COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna boosts opportunities in ensuring more children are protected against the virus,” Dr. Philip Nakpil, Medical Director of Zuellig Pharma Corporation said in a statement.
A copy of the FDA amendment of the EUA sent to Zuellig Pharma Corporation, dated May 20, 2022, has been obtained by members of the media.
According to Nakpil, the approval was a result of the stringent evaluation of the product’s clinical data, which showed its acceptable safety profile and elicits a strong immune response for children aged 6 to 11.
“It was found that the efficacy and safety of the Spikevax COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna in children aged 6 to 11 are similar to those in adults,” said Nakpil.
Based on the FDA amendment, children aged 6 to 11 years old will be given two doses of the Moderna vaccines. The second dose should be administered 28 days after the jabbing of the first dose.
Prior to the approval for Moderna, Pfizer vaccine was the only jab that has received emergency use approval for those aged 5 to 11 years old.
