Based on the monitoring report of OCTA Research dated Monday but released to the media on Tuesday, the following LGUs were classified as high-risk:
Metro Manila
Makati
Rest of Luzon
Baguio City, Benguet
La Trinidad, Benguet
Itogon, Benguet
Batangas City, Batangas
Lucena, Quezon
Lopez, Quezon
Mindanao
Davao City, Davao del Sur
Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur
No area in the central islands or the Visayas was tagged as high-risk by the research group.
OCTA Research lists LGUs of concern or high-risk areas based on high cases per day, high positivity rate, high attack rate, and/or high hospital occupancy.
“We are concerned that these LGUs may experience high hospital burden in the coming weeks that may stress their health care systems and overwhelm their medical front-liners,” the group said in its report.
OCTA Research said Baguio City and Davao City are considered “LGUs hotspots of serious concern” given the significant surge in Covid-19 cases in these areas.
The group urged concerned LGUs to further intensity their efforts in testing, contact tracing, and isolation to reverse the increase in transmission of the virus in their communities.
“Furthermore, in the high-risk LGUs, the implementation of more aggressive and effective localized lockdowns with stricter border control is urgently needed to suppress further viral transmissions,” the research team added.
OCTA Research is an independent and interdisciplinary research group composed primarily of faculty members and alumni from the University of the Philippines. Contributors from the University of Santo Tomas and Providence College in the United States are also part of its team.
