May 25, 2021 THE Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) has identified 1,272 barangays nationwide as having the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country, averaging 137 cases over an eight-month period from September 2020 to April 15, 2021. Popcom, however, noted that 15,252 communities remained "Covid-free" then. The agency has classified the 1,272 barangays as "high-population density (HD)," with populations ranging from 201 to 999 per hectare, well above the average of 200 persons per hectare. Those with lower caseloads had populations below 200 per hectare and were labeled as "low-population density (LD)" and "medium-population density (MD)" communities. Popcom’s classification covers 35,149, or 83 percent of all barangays. The community with the highest density in the Philippines, according to the agency, is Barangay 73 in Caloocan City, with a population of 19,506 inside one hectare.