A shot of Cebu City’s skyline. | CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Experts from OCTA Research Group on Sunday, August 29 said that the COVID situation here is improving.
With it, they are projecting for the number of newly confirmed cases in the city will start a downward trend by the first week of September.
Dr. David Guido, in a tweet on Sunday, said they noted a decrease in the reproduction number and weekly growth rate of COVID-19 cases in the city.
“The reproduction number has decreased to 1.02 and weekly growth rate at -20 percent. This is in line with our projections (and contrary to what others were saying) that Cebu City has been improving,” said Guido.
08.29.21 Good news for Cebu City! The reproduction number has decreased to 1.02 and weekly growth rate at -20%. This is in line with our projections (and contrary to what others were saying) that Cebu City has been improving. @allangatus @dzbb @cnnphilippines @dzrhnews @NewsRmn pic.twitter.com/QY2msVUQuB
— Dr. Guido David (@iamguidodavid) August 29, 2021
Based on the graph David published, the group is seeing COVID cases in the city will start to decline by the first week of September.
He also said their findings would disprove earlier claims ‘from other experts that Cebu was not improving’.
Cebu City has been reverted back to a stricter Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) last August 1 due to a surge of new cases, which local experts believed is caused by the more transmissible Delta variant.
Earlier, local officials said reimposing stringent health protocols helped in stemming the rise of infections but patients lining up in hospitals remained a problem.
As of August 27, the city’s critical care utilization rate is at 70 percent, according to the COVID-19 tracker by the Department of Health (DOH). While slightly lower compared to the 75 percent made last week, it is still beyond 60 percent.
Hospital occupancy rates 60 percent and below are considered within ‘safe levels’.
MECQ in Cebu City is extended until September 7.
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