While the numbers continue to stay lower with the 4,509 new cases reported today (6 laboratories failing to submit reports for June 28), the number of tests done is insufficient as a little more than 35,000 tests were done with an 11.8% positivity rate. This brings the total of COVID-19 cases to 1,412,559 – a few thousand cases shy of Canada that is in currently in 23rd spot.

With 105 new deaths today, the case fatality ratio for outcomes is steady at 1.81%.

CALABARZON and NCR are back in the top spots for the day. Except for BARMM, even on a day with fewer cases, all other regions report triple digit cases. Central Visayas, Western Visayas and Davao Region round up the top five regions with most cases.

Davao wCity continued to lead among all LGUs with Iloilo City, Quezon City, the City of Manila and Baguio City making up the top five LGUs with most new cases. Only 4 of 17 LGUs in NCR were in the top twenty cities.

On a provincial level, Davao del Sur, Negros Oriental and Iloilo province are the top three contributors to the pool of cases for the day.

The Philippines is seeing a drop of 52% from the peak cases from the highest daily average reported on April 15, 2021 during the second surge.

To date, we now have 1.408M infections and close to 25,000 coronavirus-related deaths reported as the Health Agency announces 4,479 new cases from reports last June 27, on a little more than 32,000 tests with a positivity of 10.7%. But then again, there’s the factor of a Tuesday report where the new cases reported are the lowest during the whole week. You can see that in the number of tests done and the quantity of laboratories that failed to submit a report on a Sunday – 14 laboratories (accounting for 5.4% of all samples tested or 6.5% of positive individuals for that day).

With 101 new deaths today, the case fatality ratio for outcomes remains steady at 1.81%.

Davao led -by region, province (Davao del Sur) and city (Davao City) on a day that had fewer cases to report. For the first time, NCR moved down to fourth in rank.

Quezon City still led in the NCR with triple digit cases, while 6 LGUs in NCR had single digit cases. Nevertheless, 7 of 17 LGUs in NCR were among the top twenty cities with most cases for the day in the country.

While the province Davao del Sur was on top, Cavite and Negros Occidental were in second and third for the day.

Davao City had more cases than the cities of Bacolod, Quezon City and Iloilo City combined.

The Health Agency reported 5,604 new cases (with 6 laboratories not submitting their reports for June 26) and a positivity rate of 12.5%. The positivity rate remains HIGH by any standard, considering that less than 43,000 tests were run that day. The number of active cases remain at more than 50,000 as the country breaches 1.4M total COVID-19 cases today. The reader is reminded that the total cases is based on REPORTED and RECORDED cases of patients with positive RT-PCR results and are an undercount of the true number of infected and diseased individuals with COVID-19.

On the presumption that these are the only cases we are actually recording, it is good news that the new cases are fewer.

With 84 new deaths, the case fatality ratio remains steady at 1.81 percent.

CALABARZON, Western Visayas, NCR and Davao Region dominated the tally among regions with more than 500 new cases for the day.

On a provincial level, it was Davao del Sur, Laguna, Negros Occidental, Iloilo, and Cavite that contributed to the pool of cases.

And among LGUs, Davao City continued to lead, followed by Quezon City, Bacolod City, General Santos City and the City of Manila. Seven of the LGUs in NCR were among the top 20 cities/municipalities with most cases.

In the NCR, the top five LGUs were: Quezon City, Manila, Pasig, Muntinlupa and Makati.

The OCTA Research Monitoring releases its June 28 report. The Rt for the Philippines is at 0.92 (June 21-27), higher than that of the NCR which is at 0.80. However, the Rt of the NCR this week is higher than the previous week of 0.71. This is reflected in the slow down of decay in number of new cases per day from the previous week. The average daily attack rate for Mega Manila now stands at 4.83 per 100,000 (moderate to low risk). However, in the table below, note the variability among the different cities in the metro. Those with moderate to low risk (<5/100,000) are Navotas, Caloocan, Marikina, Malabon, Valenzuela, Quezon City, and Manila. All the rest have moderate to high risk, with Pateros carrying the highest ADAR.

The table below lists the LGUs outside of NCR with more than 30 new COVID-19 cases daily from June 21-27. In general, there is a slowing down in many LGUs as seen in the negative growth rates. Hospital bed utilization rates vary among these LGUs, with Tacloban having the highest rate (88%). On the other hand, ICU utilization rates were critical in Davao City, Iloilo City, General Santos, Koronadal and Cabuyao (Laguna).

With the threat of the Delta variant and its cousin Delta plus variant, it is important that we keep the borders from being leaky. Introduction of a variant of concern with higher transmissibility and the possibility of affecting the response to some vaccines, while we are in the midst of rolling out vaccination can pose significant economic and health concerns eventually. All gains made would easily be eradicated and it would be difficult to go into another surge as the number of new daily cases have not gone down to pre-second surge levels (<1,500/day).

With 3 laboratories not submitting reports for June 25 with almost 48,000 tests and 12% positivity rate, the Health Agency reports 6,096 new cases. In spite of more recoveries, the number of active cases are still above 50,000. We are a little more than 2,000 cases to breach 14M total COVID-19 cases.

There were 128 new deaths reported today and the case fatality ratio is still 1.81%.

While CALABARZON is back in the lead, NCR’s numbers are up from a previous of 10% to 12.3%. Does the vaccine rollout make people more complacent? Western Visayas and Davao Region continue to report high numbers in their respective regions.

In NCR, Quezon City continues to lead and among 17 LGUs in Mega Manila, the region manages to land 7 of the 20 cities in the top. Three of these 7 cities are among the top five – Quezon City, Makati, Manila.

On a provincial level, it is Davao del Sur, Iloilo Province and Laguna that continue the lead.

And Davao City remains on top among all LGUs with 301 cases today. Much more than combining the total new cases from Quezon City and Makati City.

With slower decline in reproduction number and a relatively slow roll-out of vaccines, we really won’t expect a dramatic drop in the cases for COVID-19 in the country. Even when vaccines are fully rolled out, people will need remember that it will take 4 weeks before the full dose (2 doses) before a surmountable immune response can be expected. Even with the roll-out today, the most likely benefits should be seen after 6-8 weeks.

In the meantime, the other countries in select Asian countries who saw a rise in cases are seeing a quicker dip while others remain to struggle. The question is, how long will our economic and educational struggle take us as the government continues to utilize lockdowns as the main strategic solution in addressing the pandemic?

There were 50 more cases today than yesterday. That, with 3 laboratories not submitting results for June 24. With that, the Health Agency announced 6,871 new cases today, with more than 50,000 tests done and an 11.9% positivity rate two days ago. The number of active cases is still more than 50K (3.8%).

The country is seeing a slow decline in cases as the national reproduction number is now at 0.90 (as of June 22.

WIth 92 new deaths today, the case fatality ratio for outcomes remains steady at 1.81%. The Philippines still has the highest mortality rate among ASEAN nations at 218 per million population followed by Indonesia at 204 per million and Malaysia at 147 per million as of June 25.

Health utilization rate is higher nationally compared to the National Capital Region.

NCR takes back the lead with most cases by region. As the cases slowly go down in the country, will NCR be the lone region that leads in cases? CALABARZON, Western Visayas, Davao Region and Central Visayas round up the top five by region.

In Mega Manila, it is Quezon City that continued to lead with triple digits and most of the cities had higher cases reported overnight.

On a provincial level, Davao del Sur, Laguna and Negros Occidental led in tally among the provinces.

The highest number of cases by LGU was Davao City for several consecutive days. It actually had more cases than Quezon City (2nd rank) and Bacolod City (3rd) combined.

With 6,812 new cases today based on more than 51,000 tests done June 23 and a positivity rate of 11.6%. With more new cases today than recoveries, the active cases are up again at more than 55,000 (4%). Total cases are now past 1.385Million.

There are 116 new deaths reported today, which brings the case fatality ratio for outcomes steady at 1.81%.

Note at the lower health care utilization at the NCR compared to the national data. This correlates with the lower cases now being seen in Mega Manila.

While CALABARZON registered close to 1,000 cases today, NCR and Western Visayas continued to trail Region IVA. Central Luzon saw a decline in cases as it moved down to 7th rank.

Back in NCR, Quezon City continued to report triple digits and three LGUs reported single digits. Nevertheless, 8 of 17 LGUs in NCR made it to the top twenty cities with most cases in the country.

On a provincial level, Laguna took back the lead followed by Davao del Sur and Iloilo Province.

Davao City continued to post the highest cases among the LGUs in the country. The other four LGUs that rounded up the top five were: Quezon City, Baguio City, Iloilo City and General Santos City.

With 6,043 new cases announced today, the total COVID-19 cases inches closer to 1.38M as the week comes to an end. The cases today are based on close to 47,000 tests done last June 22, with a 12% positivity rate. Because of fewer recoveries compared to active cases, the active cases are up at more than 50,000 once more.

While the bulk of the cases are coming from Visayas and Mindanao, it is good news that the NCR has kept a steady decline. Otherwise the major epicenter of cases in Metro Manila would push the total numbers much higher than what is reported daily.

With 108 new deaths, the total deaths now exceed 24,000, and the case fatality ratio for outcomes is steady at 1.81%.

CALABARZON and Western Visayas dominated the regional haul but NCR, Davao Region and Central Luzon continued to contribute to the most cases for the day.

Among LGUs in NCR, Quezon City and Manila reported triple digits, while Navotas was the lone LGU that had a single digit. Despite the lower cases in NCR, 6 of 17 LGUs in Mega Manila still managed to be among the top 20 cities with most cases.

On a provincial level, Davao del Sur topped the list with Negros Occidental and Iloilo province in second and third, respectively. It was no surprise to see Davao City continue to lead the LGUs among the top five cities with most cases in the country. Quezon City, Bacolod City, Manila and Iloilo City rounded up the rest.

The Wednesday data will always be the second highest number of cases for the week. Tuesday is notably the day with lowest new cases.

The Health Agency reports 4353 new cases today based on a little over 33k tests done with 11.4% positivity rate last June 21. Sundays and Mondays will always have the lowest tests done. Understandably the Sundays will have lower tests are some testing facilities are closed.

With 119 new deaths today, the case fatality ratio for outcomes is steady at 1.81%.

With more recoveries than new cases, the active cases are now less than 50,000 (3.6%).

CALABARZON and NCR took back the lead for regions with most new cases for the day as Davao comes in third. Visayas and Mindanao continue to contribute to the new cases for the day.

In the NCR, Quezon City reports triple digits once again, with 4 cities/municipalities reporting single digits. Seven of 17 LGUs in NCR were among the top twenty cities with most cases.

On a provincial level, it is Davao del Sur, South Cotabato and Laguna that led the pack.

Among all LGUs, Davao City led the pack with more than twice the cases of Quezon City. Joining them to round up the top five were: City of Tagum, Butuan and Koronadal. Unknown municipalities New Washington in Aklan and Polanco in Zamboanga del Norte were among the top twenty LGUs today.

Because it is a Tuesday, the 3,666 new cases came as good news with more than 31K tests done on a Sunday – June 20. The positivity rate is still up close to 12%. With more than 6810 recoveries, the active cases now decrease to a little more than 52,000 (3.9%).

There are 60 new deaths reported today, putting the case fatality ratio for outcomes at 1.81%. The Tuesday data is lower than the past Tuesday reports. Hopefully, we continue the decline in cases for the whole country as the vaccines continue to roll out.

Of course it came as a surprise that Davao Region suddenly dropped from 600 plus cases to just 87 cases today. But NCR has managed to stay clear of the lead as CALABARZON and Eastern Visayas took the first and second place today.

For the first time, Quezon City reported only double digits. The following cities in NCR, joined QC among the top five – Manila, Pasig, Muntinlupa and Caloocan City. Seven LGUs in NCR reported single digits today. Only 4 of the 17 LGUs were among the top 20 cities with most cases.

Laguna took back the lead on a provincial level, while Bacolod City led among all LGUs in the country in a day that saw fewer cases.

The OCTA Monitoring Report released today notes that the number of cases in the country declined by 8% (averaging 6,027 daily) from June 15-21 and the reproduction number dipping a tad lower at 0.95. The NCR continued to have decreasing cases with a 15% decline from the previous week. Its average daily attack rate is now at 5.07/100,000 population and the Rt = 0.73. Positivity rate for tests is at 7% compared to the national positivity rate of >13%. That is because the bulk of the testing facilities are in Mega Manila, where extensive testing can and is being done .

The data in the LGUs outside of NCR is not good news. Davao City, Bacolod, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro and Tacloban remain areas of concern. The variability in the increase of cases in these LGUs, ADAR, hospital bed occupancy rate and ICU rate are parameters that should be monitored rather than just the number of new cases. Hospital utilization is a reflection of how the healthcare system of the LGU is doing and mirrors how the situation of the outbreak in the community.

With close to 5,300 cases today for reports on June 19 in over 43,000 cases and a positivity rate of 13%, the Philippines now has over 1.36M COVID-19 cases. The active cases remain above 4% (55,847).

There are 128 new deaths today, putting the case fatality ratio for outcomes is steady at 1.82%.

Davao, for the first time, officially took the lead in number of new cases by region, province (Davao del Sur) and City (Davao City) as the outbreak continued to spread across Visayas and Mindanao.

CALABARZON and NCR are in ranks 2nd and 3rd, with NCR owning 11% of the total cases. Western, Central and Eastern Visayas had more cases than NCR and Region IVA combined.

Among LGUs in NCR, Quezon City was the lone city with triple digits and Pateros had a glorious day with ZERO cases.

But it was a day where other LGUs also reported lower cases, which put the NCR LGUs in a precarious position with 8 of 17 cities landing in the top twenty cities with most cases for the day.

As of this post, the Health Agency has announced that around 2% of the Philippine population have been fully vaccinated. At least 6% have received a single dose with the breakdown provided in their graph below.

It would be more interesting to find out how many (in percentage) in the various categories have actually received their vaccines. For example, if there are 1,000,000 HCWs (healthcare workers) in the country and 990,000 have been fully immunized, then that means that 99% of the HCWs have been immunized. This is important as the numbers below do not mean anything if you’re just counting the numbers.

In addition, here is the latest Biosurveillance Report from the Philippine Genome Center on the status of the variants circulating in the country. Alpha and Beta variants remain the predominant variants we are seeing in their random genome sequencing of swabs taken from positive patients in the sequenced date.