Philippine COVID-19 cases exceed 367,000 with 2,057 new infections

The Philippines’ tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases rose to 367,819 on Saturday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,057 infections as 12 laboratories failed to submit reports on time.

This marks the eighth consecutive day where less than 3,000 cases were recorded.

According to the DOH, 442 more patients have also recovered from the illness, bringing the total to 313,112.

Meanwhile, the death toll climbed to 6,934 with 19 new fatalities - 16 occurred in October, two in September, and one in April.

Of the new cases reported, 92 percent or 1,892 acquired the virus in the past 14 days. A total of 37 cases were also removed from the total case count.

There are also 47,773 remaining active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine. Of this, 83.7 percent are mild, 11.4 percent are asymptomatic, 1.8 percent are severe, and 3.1 percent are in critical condition.

At present, the country has 151 licensed laboratories that have tested over 4.2 million individuals. Forty-four percent of the country’s intensive care unit beds are occupied while 22 percent of the mechanical ventilators are in use.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation on Friday announced it will settle its obligations to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) for COVID-19 tests next week, saying this will enable the PRC to immediately resume its testing of swab specimens. — DVM, GMA News