Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the health department is ''seeing slight increases'' in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) two days into the new year.

In a radio interview, Duque said: "We are already seeing slight increases... There are signs already (of a surge)."

"It's not that much but there is an increase in the number of new cases," he added.

The independent OCTA Research Team said there is an increase in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.

"We expect an increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the first week of January 2021 as testing centers resume normal operations," said the research team.

"In fact, an upward trend can already be observed," added OCTA.

Last December, the Department of Health (DOH) said the country should be prepared for a sharp spike of COVID-19 cases after the holidays as more people move around.

The DOH reported 1,097 new COVID-19 cases, bringing total cases to

476,916 COVID-19 cases in the country.

Four persons died from COVID-19, bringing total deaths to 9,253. DMS