2,965 new cases push Philippines’ COVID-19 tally over 197,000

The Philippines’ tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases rose to 197,164 on Tuesday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,965 new infections, the second lowest reported this month.

The five provinces with the highest number of new cases were Metro Manila with 1,575, Negros Occidental with 237, Laguna with 151, Cavite with 129, and Batangas with 95.

Eighty-two percent or 2,434 of the newly reported infections contracted COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

Meanwhile, total recoveries rose to 132,396 after 368 more patients recovered from the respiratory disease as the death toll climbed to 3,038 with 34 new fatalities.

Twenty-six of the latest fatalities died in August, seven in July, and one in June.

There are also 61,730 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 91.6 percent of which are mild, 6.1 percent are asymptomatic, 0.9 percent are severe, and 1.4 percent are in critical condition.

The DOH said figures reported on Tuesday were based on data submitted by 86 out of the 109 operational laboratories.

Fifty-three duplicate cases were also removed from the total tally of infections.

As of August 24, 50 percent of intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients nationwide were occupied while 27 percent of mechanical ventilators were in use.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said it was still uncertain whether the country will be able to flatten its curve of infections in September. 

Experts from the University of the Philippines had said that COVID-19 cases in the Philippines were on a downward trend but warned that it could be reversed. —LDF, GMA News