Philippine COVID-19 cases near 130,000 with 3,109 new infections

The Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tally soared to 129,913 Sunday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 3,109 new infections, marking the 11th day in a row during which over 3,000 new cases were reported.

The five provinces with the highest number of new cases were Metro Manila with 1,700, Laguna with 169, Cebu with 114, Rizal with 98, and Cavite with 93.

Among the newly reported cases, 2,055 contracted COVID-19 between July 27 and August 9, 772 caught the virus from July 1 to 26, 59 got sick in June, 118 in May, 58 in April, and 47 fell ill in March.

The total number of recoveries also rose to 67,673 after 654 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness, while the death toll climbed to 2,270 with 61 new fatalities.

Seventeen of the newly reported deaths occurred in August, 34 in July, six in June, while the remaining four cases died in May.

There are also 59,970 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 91.2 percent of which are mild, 7.5 percent are asymptomatic, 0.7 percent are severe, and 0.6 percent are in critical condition.

The DOH said figures reported on Sunday were based on data submitted by 82 out of the 99 operational laboratories.

The department also removed 81 duplicate cases from the total tally of infections.

As of August 8, the Philippines had 76 certified polymerase chain reaction facilities and 24 GeneXpert laboratories that had tested a total of 1,647,735 individuals.

Meanwhile, 54 percent of intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients nationwide were occupied while 30 percent of mechanical ventilators were in use.

The Philippines still has the highest number of infections and active cases across Southeast Asia. — DVM, GMA News