Philippines’ COVID-19 cases almost 337K with 2,249 new infections

The Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases rose to 336,926 on Saturday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,249 new infections, marking the sixth consecutive day where less than 3,000 cases were reported.

Most of the new cases reported came from the National Capital Region with 651, followed by Batangas with 139, Iloilo with 136, Laguna with 128, and Quezon with 107.

Of the newly reported cases, 87 percent or 1,951 acquired the illness in the past 14 days. A total of 93 cases were also removed from the total case count.

Total recoveries also rose to 276,094 after 842 more patients recovered from the illness.

Meanwhile, 87 new fatalities brought the death toll to 6,238. Among the new deaths, 36 occurred in October, 40 in September, six in August, three in July, one in June, and one in April.

Of the remaining 54,594 active cases, 85.8 percent are mild, 10 percent are asymptomatic, 1.3 percent are severe, and 2.9 percent are in critical condition.

At present, the country has 145 licensed laboratories that have tested over 3.8 million individuals.

Meanwhile, 48 percent of the country’s intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients are occupied and 23 percent of the mechanical ventilators are in use. -MDM, GMA News