2,996 new COVID-19 cases push Philippines’ total over 334,000

The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines rose to 334,770 on Friday with 2,996 new infections, marking the fifth consecutive day where less than 3,000 new cases were reported.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), most of the new cases came from the National Capital Region with 1,094. This was followed by Cavite with 282, Batangas with 166, Iloilo with 152, and Laguna with 147.

Of the new infections, 85% or 2,554 acquired the virus in the past 14 days. A total of 95 cases were also removed from the total case count.

The DOH also announced that 1,045 more patients have recovered from the illness, bringing the total to 275,307, while the death toll climbed to 6,152 with 83 new fatalities.

Among the new deaths, 33 occurred in October, 39 in September, five in August, three in July, two in June, and one in May.

There are also 53,311 active cases still undergoing treatment or quarantine. Of this, 85.8% are mild, 9.9% are asymptomatic, 1.4% are severe, and 3% are in critical condition.

At present, the country has 143 licensed laboratories that have tested over 3.7 million individuals while 47% of the nation’s intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients are occupied while 24% of the mechanical ventilators are in use.

Meanwhile, experts from the University of the Philippines has advised the government to maintain efforts in sustaining the downward trend of COVID-19 infections in the country, warning that positive trends are not irreversible.—AOL, GMA News