Philippines’ COVID-19 cases now at 594,412 with 3,276 new infections

The Philippines’ tally of COVID-19 cases leapt to 594,412 on Sunday after the Department of Health reported 3,276 new infections as seven laboratories failed to submit data on time.

This is the third straight day where more than 3,000 cases were reported.

According to the DOH, 10,516 more patients have also recovered from the respiratory illness, bringing the total to 545,853.

Meanwhile, the death toll climbed to 12,516 with 51 new fatalities.

The DOH noted that two duplicates were removed from the total case count, while 13 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.

So far, there are 36,043 active cases undergoing treatment of quarantine, of which 90.6% are mild, 4.2% are asymptomatic, 2.2% are critical, 2.1% are severe and 0.91% are moderate.

Data from the DOH also showed that 60% of the country’s intensive care unit beds are available, while 77% of the mechanical ventilators are ready for use.

On Saturday, the DOH confirmed there is an upward trend in the number of confinement of COVID-19 patients in hospitals over the past weeks.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, however, dismissed the idea that a second wave of COVID-19 has already occurred in the country.

Meanwhile, the OCTA Research group on Sunday said COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila continue to go up at a faster rate.

The group said the capital region’s 1,025 new cases per day on the average from February 28 to March 6 represents an increase of 42% from the week before and an increase of 130% compared to two weeks ago.

Metro Manila's reproduction rate for the period went up to 1.66.

The group said the current surge is "spreading more quickly than the July-August surge." It said this may be due to the coronavirus variants detected in the country.

Metro Manila’s positivity rate also went up to an average of 8% the past seven days, while hospital bed occupancy was at 44% and ICU occupancy rate was at 53% overall.

The group believes the numbers will still increase throughout March.

With this, the group pushed for more contact tracing, testing and isolation especially in high-risk areas. It also encouraged "more effective localized lockdowns with stricter border controls."

Further, the group urged the public to do their share by being vigilant and following health protocols, and the government to strictly monitor and enforce compliance.

It also suggested having stricter travel guidelines to eliminate the risk of coronavirus variants entering the country. — BM, GMA News