Philippines logs 1,383 new COVID-19 cases, lowest since July anew

The Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tally leapt to 238,727 on Monday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 1,383 new infections, the lowest since July.

This also marks the third straight day in which less than 3,000 new cases were reported.

The bulk of the newest infections were still logged in Metro Manila at 525, followed by Laguna with 137 new cases, Batangas with 99, Negros Occidental with 77, and Cavite with 69.

Eighty-seven percent or 1,206 of the newly reported cases caught COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

Total recoveries also rose to 184,906 after 230 more patients recovered from the respiratory disease, while the death toll climbed to 3,890 with 15 new fatalities.

The remaining 49,931 are active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 88.3 percent of which are mild, 8.3 percent are asymptomatic, 1.4 percent are severe, and 2 percent are in critical condition.

As of September 6, the Philippines had 117 licensed laboratories that had tested over 2.6 million individuals while 47 percent of COVID-19 intensive care unit beds nationwide were occupied and 27 percent of mechanical ventilators were in use.

The DOH said that the country’s case fatality rate has dropped to 1.63 percent but the positivity rate remains high at 10.61 percent, double the World Health Organization’s benchmark.

An expert from the University of the Philippines earlier said that Metro Manila and Calabarzon had already flattened the curve of infections. 

Professor Guido David said the two-week modified enhanced community quarantine in August was a “big factor” in slowing COVID-19 transmission. 

According to the DOH, the case doubling time slowed to 10.41 days as of September 7 from 6.26 days on June 1, the start of the general community quarantine in Metro Manila.—LDF, GMA News