The Department of Health (DOH) said there were 2, 578 COVID-19 cases from Friday's 2,588. Out of the total, the National Capital Region (NCR) accounted for 984 cases.

No deaths were reported while 1,675 recoveries were announced.

NCR may experience the peak of the COVID-19 cases within seven days, OCTA Research Fellow Guido David said Saturday.

''We are not yet at the peak but we may reach it within seven days,'' David told dzBB.

He said that the one-week growth rate in new COVID-19 cases has gone down to 28 percent from 41 percent in the previous week. ''That is a good indicator,'' he added.

But cases have been rising in Calabarzon and Western Visayas, said David. Cebu and Davao are also seeing COVID-19 cases starting to increase.

David said hospital utilization rate has been increasing at 30 percent and intensive care room occupancy is 22 percent. ''This is still far from the threshhold of 50 percent but we are watching this,'' he added.

The reproduction rate in the NCR was at 1.38 percent as of July 12 from 1.49 on July 5 while the seven-day average daily attack rate was 5.57. David said the cut off from low to moderate ADAR is six. DMS

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Marcos to meet Vergeire on alert levels for COVID-19 on Monday

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will be meeting with Department of Health Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday for any action on the alert levels on COVID-19.

This was announced by Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles in text message to reporters.

Cruz-Angeles said that the ''status quo holds for our alert levels, which the IATF will be reviewing on Monday.''

On June 28, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) said the National Capital Region and other provinces and cities will remain under Alert Level 1 from July 1 to 15. DMS