NCR COVID-19 reproduction number drops to 1.39

The COVID-19 reproduction number in the National Capital Region (NCR) further decreased to 1.39 as of September 2, a slight drop from 1.43 on August 31.

OCTA Research forecasts that the NCR's reproduction number could fall below 1 by the third week of September, though new cases are still expected to rise at a slower rate.

Despite the declining reproduction number, the NCR recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide, with an average of 4,637 infections during the last seven-day period, a 12% increase from the previous week.

Other critical indicators in the NCR include an average daily attack rate of 33.20 cases per 100,000 population, a 24% positivity rate, 69% hospital bed occupancy, and 71% ICU occupancy.

As of Wednesday, the NCR had 39,388 active COVID-19 cases.

Seven local government units in the NCR, including Manila and Pasay, have reported single-digit growth rates in COVID-19 cases.