At least 10 areas have logged above 20 percent or “very high” one-week COVID-19 positivity rates, independent monitoring OCTA Research Group said on Sunday as the country recorded 3,657 new cases – the highest daily tally in more than five months.
The Department of Health recorded 13 new fatalities, with a national positivity rate for the week of July 17 to 23 at 14.1 percent, higher than the 11.9 percent in the previous week.
Of the new cases, 1,327 are from Metro Manila, which is now at moderate risk in terms of average daily attack rate (ADAR) at 6.4 cases per 100,000 population.
Healthcare utilization rate in Metro Manila, however, remained low risk at 32 percent.
Earlier in the day, OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Isabela all posted a positivity rate of more than 20 percent on July 22, compared to the data on July 16.
Aklan remained on top of the list despite its positivity rate going down from 35 percent on July 16 to 32.6 percent on July 22.
It was followed by Capiz with 31.9 percent, Nueva Ecija with 30.5 percent, Isabela with 27.8 percent, Pampanga with 26.1 percent, Laguna with 26 percent, Cavite with 24.5 percent, Tarlac with 24 percent, Rizal with 22.8 percent, and Antique with 22.2 percent.
As part of the government’s plan to curb the COVID-19 infections in the country, the Department of Health is set to launch on July 26 a campaign that aims to administer booster shots to 50 percent of the country’s eligible population in the next three months.
Based on the government’s COVID-19 vaccination dashboard, there are now 71.5 million Filipinos who are fully vaccinated. Of this number, 15.9 million have received their booster dose.