Philippines’ COVID-19 cases inch closer to 470,000 with 1,406 new infections

The Philippines’ tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases rose to 469,005 on Saturday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 1,406 new infections as eight laboratories failed to submit data on time.

According to the DOH, Bulacan reported the highest number of new cases with 100, followed by Quezon City with 98, Rizal with 88, Laguna with 73, and Batangas with 69.

The DOH also announced that 266 more patients have recovered from the illness, bringing the total to 431,055, while five new fatalities brought the death toll to 9,067.

Two duplicate cases were also removed from the total case count while one case previously tagged as recovered was reclassified as a death.

Meanwhile, of the remaining 28,883 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 82.5 percent are mild, 9.9 percent are asymptomatic, 2.5 percent are severe, and 4.8 percent are in critical condition.

Data from the DOH also showed that 66 percent of the country’s intensive care unit beds are available while 83 percent of the mechanical ventilators are ready for use.

The DOH and the OCTA Research team has said that a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country is very likely during and after the holiday season.

OCTA Research fellow Ranjit Rye said the rise in cases would be noticeable in the first two weeks of January.

Due to this, an official of the Philippine College of Physicians said the Philippines may need to return to stricter quarantine classification to control the spread of COVID-19. -MDM, GMA News