2,261 new cases push Philippines’ COVID-19 tally to over 348,000

The Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tally rose to 348,698 on Thursday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,261 new infections as 14 testing laboratories failed to submit their data on time.

Metro Manila still recorded the highest number of new cases at 566, followed by Cavite with 174, Pangasinan with 145, Northern Samar with 104, and Quezon with 98.

Eighty-five percent or 1,921 of the latest infections contracted COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

Total recoveries also rose to 294,161 after 385 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness, while the death toll climbed to 6,497 with 50 new fatalities.

There are also 48,040 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 84.6 percent of which are mild, 10.7 percent are asymptomatic, 1.6 percent are severe, and 3.2 percent are in critical condition.

The DOH said 47 percent of COVID-19 intensive care unit beds nationwide were occupied and 24 percent of mechanical ventilators were in use while over 4 million individuals had been tested by 147 laboratories as of October 14.

The country’s testing capacity is expected to take a huge hit after the Philippine Red Cross said it would stop conducting COVID-19 tests chargeable to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation over unpaid debt that has ballooned to more than P930 million. 

The organization will no longer accept specimens from overseas Filipino workers, those arriving in airports and seaports, mega swabbing facilities, local government units, frontline workers, and others included in the DOH’s expanded testing guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology has cleared China’s candidate vaccine for clinical trials in the Philippines. 

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. still needs to secure the approval of the Ethics Before before applying with the Food and Drug Administration.—LDF, GMA News