Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 8)— The OCTA Research Group on Saturday flagged three cities outside the NCR Plus as "areas of concern" due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in their vicinities.

"Outside the NCR Plus, the following are considered areas of concern due to a rise in new COVID-19 cases: Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, and Bacolod in Negros Occidental," OCTA said in its latest monitoring report.

Data analyzed by the independent research group showed that for the past week, Puerto Princesa logged a 78% increase in coronavirus infections, CDO listed a 75% spike, while Bacolod recorded a 19% increase in new cases.

Meanwhile, OCTA said while the COVID-19 trend in Metro Manila has become stable, neighboring province Laguna has seen an increase in infections in some areas.

"The trend in Laguna is not yet stable. Specifically, there was an increase in new cases in Calamba," the group said, adding that hospital bed and intensive care unit occupancy in the city remain high.

Nationwide, there are now 1,094,849 COVID-19 cases, after the Department of Health listed 6,979 new infections on Saturday. Of the number, 63,376 are active cases or people currently sick.

The death toll also jumped to 18,269 while 1,013,204 have recovered from the disease.

Source: CNN Philippines (https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/5/8/OCTA-COVID-areas-of-concern-CDO-Puerto-Princesa-Bacolod.html)