The positivity rate on COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) decreased for the first time to 16.4 percent as of August 12 from 17.5 percent as of August, OCTA Research said Sunday.

'' This is the first time in the current wave the weekly positivity rate decreased, and it gives us optimism that cases in the NCR may have already peaked,'' said OCTA Research Fellow Guido David in his Twitter account.

' We initially projected a peak around mid-July based on South Africa experience but the wave got prolonged for some reason,'' added David.

On Saturday, COVID-19 cases rose to 4, 679 from 4,661 on Friday.

The National Capital Region accounted for 1,386 of these cases. Quezon City led with the most number of cases with 280 followed by Makati, 171 and Manila, 170. DMS