Negros Occ among 8 areas of concern for COVID

The province of Negros Occidental is one of the eight areas classified as areas of concern due to spikes in COVID-19 cases.

In its latest monitoring report, OCTA Research said the National Capital Region (NCR) Davao del Sur, Quezon, Negros Occidental, Pampanga, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental and Western Samar under areas of concern for the infection.

The cities of Makati, Lucena, Batangas, Davao and Pagadian were classified as high-risk areas due to a spike in cases and other factors such as hospital bed occupancy.

“Based on the available data, it is becoming clear to us that the increases in new cases in many places around the country are largely community transmission exacerbated by the  rise in mobility due to the opening up of the economy coupled with the deteriorating compliance with the minimum health standard by citizens due to pandemic fatigue,” the OCTA Research’s latest monitoring report stated.

In some places, the situation is further exacerbated by the effects of the recent typhoons (including delays in test reports due to the temporary closing of test centers), it added.

The OCTA Research Team said Metro Manila, Davao Region, and Western Visayas had reported increase in new daily cases.

The group also reported increase in daily cases in Quezon Province, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental and Western Samar. Meanwhile, it praised the improvement of COVID-19 response in Baguio City and Cebu City that led to cases to drop.

The OCTA Research urged the national and local governments to work together to limit the spread of the virus by increasing testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine, and the implementation of small, targeted lockdowns to contain “super-spreading events” in the communities.

They also appealed to the public to avoid not just crowded and enclosed areas but also to refrain from joining or organizing social gatherings this Christmas season.

“There is evidence from Europe and North America that increased social mixing among households is driving the second wave of COVID-19 in these parts of the world,” said the OCTA Research, which is composed of experts from the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, and Providence College in the United States.

The researchers asked the government to enforce the 10-person limit for gatherings in areas under general community quarantine such as the NCR and to discourage office parties and other social events.

“Family gatherings should be limited in size and should be celebrated outside to mitigate transmission,” they said.

In addition, the OCTA Research asked the government to keep NCR under general community quarantine until the end of the year and consider a stricter quarantine status for certain areas around the country that continue to have significant outbreaks and with hospitals already at full capacity.

Metro Manila’s reproduction number increased to 0.87 from 0.83 previously, but remained below 1 for the November 22 to 28 period, the researchers said.

The reproduction number indicates the average number of people who may contract COVID-19 from an infected person.

In earlier reports, the researchers said that to flatten the curve, the reproduction number should be less than one. A value higher than one indicates the virus is spreading.

“The rise in the reproduction number in the NCR, while a cause of concern is not surprising. However, the situation in the NCR is still manageable and should not be a cause for alarm,” OCTA Research said.

The positivity rate for NCR stood at 4%, well within the World Health Organization’s recommended figure of 5% and below.

The OCTA Research team is composed of experts from the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas and Providence College in the United States. (GMA News/ABS-CBN News)