Philippines logs 2,415 new COVID-19 cases, total tops 314,000

The Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caseload rose to 314,079 after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 2,415 new infections on Thursday, the third straight day in which less than 3,000 new cases were reported.

Metro Manila still logged the highest number of new infections at 930, followed by Cavite with 238, Rizal with 128, Laguna with 123, and Negros Occidental with 103.

Eighty-three percent or 2,010 of the newly reported cases contracted COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

The total number of recoveries also rose to 254,223 after 771 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness, while the death toll climbed to 5,562 with 59 new fatalities.

“Moreover, 17 cases previously tagged as recovered were reclassified to deaths after final validation,” the DOH added.

The other 54,294 are active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 86.6 percent of which are mild, 9 percent are asymptomatic, 1.4 percent are severe, and 3.1 percent are in critical condition.

As of September 30, the Philippines has 138 licensed laboratories that had tested over 3.5 million individuals while 46 percent of COVID-19 intensive care unit beds nationwide were occupied and 25 percent of mechanical ventilators were in use.

The chief implementer of the government’s pandemic response earlier said over 40,000 beds were still needed for COVID-19 patients.

Malacañang, meanwhile, said the loosening of quarantine restrictions in November “is not an impossibility,” citing the downward trend of new infections. -MDM, GMA News