May 2
The COVID-19 positivity rate in Metro Manila increased to 17.2 percent as of April 29 from 10.2 percent on April 22, according to data released by a Philippine analyst on Tuesday.
The positivity rate for the whole country hovered around 15.2 percent as of April 30, with the highest rate recorded in the province of Camarines Sur at 39.7 percent, followed by Rizal at 28.5 percent, Cavite at 28.1 percent and Laguna at 21.2 percent.
The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said the public need not panic amid the rising positivity rate, adding that the hospitalization rate remained low throughout the country.
DOH Officer-in-charge and Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the positivity rate is not the only basis for assessing the country's COVID-19 situation, noting that RT-PCR testing has significantly declined.
The Philippines, with around 110 million population, has logged nearly 4.1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 30, including 66,444 deaths.
xinhua
