CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) -- Metro Manila recorded a 7% increase in new COVID-19 cases last week, according to OCTA Research latest data.

OCTA Research fellow Guido David over the weekend said the capital region witnessed an “uptick” in new infections as new cases climbed to 85 from April 24 to 30 against the 79 cases logged a week before.

The reproduction number—or the number of people who can get the virus from a COVID-19 positive person—also went up to 0.79 from 0.66.

Health experts previously explained that a reproduction rate of less than one could mean the transmission is slowing down.

David said Metro Manila is “still at low risk,” as of April 30.

The healthcare utilization rate remained “very low” at 21% with ICU utilization at 19%.

The positivity rate in the region remained at 1.4% over an average of 11,544 tests per day.

The positivity rate refers to the percentage of tested people with positive results. For the World Health Organization, 5% or below is an acceptable figure.

To recall, last month, the Department of Health warned of a potential spike in COVID-19 cases by the middle of May as it noted a decline in compliance with health protocols. (PIA-NCR)