Philippines logs 3,372 more COVID-19 cases; total at 261,216

The Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tally leaped to 261,216 on Sunday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 3,372 new infections, marking the sixth straight day in which more than 3,000 new cases were reported.

Metro Manila still logged the highest number of new infections at 1,307, followed by Cavite with 240, Laguna with 207, Negros Occidental with 199, and Bulacan with 145.

Eighty-five percent or 2,850 of the newly reported cases caught COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

Meanwhile, total recoveries rose to 207,568 after 20,472 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness.

The DOH earlier said time-based recoveries would be reported every Sunday as part of the “Oplan Recovery” initiative, where asymptomatic and mild cases are re-tagged as recovered after completing 14 days of quarantine without developing symptoms.

The death toll also climbed to 4,371 with 79 new fatalities.

The remaining 49,277 are active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 87.6 percent of which are mild, 8.8 percent are asymptomatic, 1.4 percent are severe, and 2.2 percent are in critical condition.

As of September 12, the Philippines had 121 licensed laboratories that had tested over 2.8 million individuals, while 46 percent of COVID-19 intensive care unit beds nationwide were occupied and 26 percent of mechanical ventilators were in use.

Former Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit on Saturday said that the Philippines remains unable to control the spread of COVID-19, months after quarantine restrictions were put in place.

The Philippines still has the highest number of infections across Southeast Asia, followed by Indonesia with 214,746 cases as of Saturday. — DVM, GMA News