OCTA: NCR COVID-19 cases trend upward

The OCTA Research Team reported on Sunday that the trend in new COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila has shifted to an upward trajectory.

Over the past three days, the region recorded an average of 563 new daily cases, marking a 45% increase from the previous week's average of 388 cases per day.

The reproduction number in NCR increased to Rt = 1.22, up from 1.13 reported on Saturday and 1.0 two weeks prior.

Experts attribute this uptick to recent holidays like Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day, though the possibility of a SARS-CoV-2 variant cannot be ruled out.