Philippines ends 2020 with over 474k COVID-19 cases

The Philippines on Thursday closed 2020 with a total of 474,064 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,541 new infections as three laboratories failed to submit data on time.

According to the DOH, Quezon City again reported the highest number of new cases with 101, followed by Baguio with 79, Manila with 67, Rizal with 65, and Davao with 59.

The DOH also announced that total recoveries rose to 439,796 after 296 more patients recovered from the illness while 14 new fatalities brought the death toll to 9,244.

Nine duplicate cases were also removed from the total case count and four cases previously tagged as recovered were reclassified as a deaths.

There are also 25,024 remaining active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, of which 80.8 percent are mild, 10.4 percent are asymptomatic, 2.9 percent are severe, and 5.5 percent are in critical condition.

Based on data from the DOH, 63 percent of the country’s intensive care unit beds are available while 79 percent of the mechanical ventilators are ready for use.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into unauthorized inoculations against COVID-19 using unregistered vaccines.

This was after President Rodrigo Duterte revealed that some Filipino soldiers -- they would later turn out to be members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) --  had been vaccinated.

PSG commander Brigadier General Jesus Durante has admitted that his unit acquired the COVID-19 vaccine for free, but refused to disclose its source.

However, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the COVID-19 vaccines were smuggled because no authorization was given by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA said it has started investigating the inoculation of some military and Cabinet members with unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines. -NB, GMA News