COVID-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) might reach up to 25 percent, according to Octa Research. Experts foresee that areas surrounding Metro Manila, such as Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna, may also face increased positivity rates of more than 20 percent. While the rise and drop in cases can be anticipated, healthcare utilization rates remain low, and positivity rates are merely one way to indicate the status of cases. The increase in cases prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to consider reinstating face mask mandates, but it is unnecessary. With this, the Philippine College of Physicians expects that it would not reach the levels of the Delta variant wave in 2021, which they considered “severe.”
