Consider placing Batangas, Pampanga in NCR Plus ‘bubble,’ OCTA suggests

CNN – Published Mar 25, 2021 9:34:37 AM

Metro Manila  — COVID-19 cases are also rising in provinces excluded from the NCR Plus “bubble,” OCTA Research warned on Thursday, urging the government to study the possibility of imposing stricter restrictions in more areas.

OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said Batangas and Pampanga are seeing alarming spikes in new coronavirus infections. He said Batangas is recording as much as 140% increase in their daily COVID-19 cases this past week. From previously averaging 60 cases per day, the province is now recording around150 new infections daily.

“That is very significant, that’s a very big increase. That increase is even bigger in some of the increase seen in the bubble provinces,” he told CNN Philippines. “I think we have to watch these carefully. We may have to reconsider expanding the bubble if the numbers continue to increase in Batangas and Pampanga.”

Metro Manila and neighboring provinces Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna were placed in a bubble set-up until April 4 in the hopes that two weeks of slightly stricter restrictions can curb the surge of new COVID-19 cases.

OCTA on Friday reported that the reproduction number in Metro Manila slightly decreased to 1.91, but it said it is too early to tell if this is the start of the downward trend in new cases. As the reproduction number goes down, this means fewer people are getting infected by a single COVID-19 patient.

SOURCE: https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/25/Consider-placing-Batangas–Pampanga-in-NCR-Plus–bubble—OCTA-suggests.html?%3F%3F%3F%3F%3F&fbclid=IwAR052w7fw3EbG9cJHUiNjQNUHFpmYAOuD4WukPB_28me37d2GNl7xzb1OiE