Philippines records less than 1,000 COVID-19 cases, total now at 436,345

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday announced 934 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, bringing the nationwide tally to 436,345.

A total of 11 laboratories failed to submit their data on time.

Quezon City recorded the highest number of new cases with 75, followed by Laguna with 59, and Baguio City, Bulacan, and Davao City with 34, each.

The DOH also announced that 148 more patients have recovered from the illness, bringing the total to 399,457, while 63 fatalities brought the death toll to 8,509.

Meanwhile, two duplicate cases were removed from the total case count.

“Of these, two were recovered cases. Moreover, 14 cases previously tagged as recovered were reclassified as deaths,” the DOH said.

There are also 28,379 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine. Among this, 85.4 percent are mild, 6.9 percent are asymptomatic, 2.5 percent are severe, and 4.9 percent are in critical condition.

Data from the DOH showed that 59 percent of the country’s intensive care unit beds are available while 79 percent of the mechanical ventilators are ready for use.

The DOH earlier said the Philippine government is planning to lift COVID-19 quarantine protocols in the entire country by the third quarter of 2021.—LDF, GMA News