57,736 COVID-19 active cases highest this year

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday logged 4,437 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, bringing the total tally to 631,320, as seven laboratories failed to submit data on time.

According to the DOH, this pushed the total active cases in the country to 57,736, this year’s highest.

Of this, 92.6 percent are mild, 4 percent are asymptomatic, 1.3 percent are severe, and 1.3 percent are in critical condition.

The DOH also reported that total recoveries rose to 560,736 after 166 more patients recovered from the illness while the death toll increased to 12,848 with 11 new fatalities.

OCTA Research group earlier warned that the Philippines could see 11,000 new COVID-19 cases daily by the end of March, as it noted an upward trend in infections.

Professor Guido David said the reproduction number has increased to 2.03, meaning every COVID-19 case can infect two other people.

“The increase in cases is not just happening in NCR but it’s also happening in many areas in Calabarzon like Rizal and Cavite, parts of Bulacan. There’s also another uptick in Cebu City, so it was going down but we’re seeing a slight uptick,” David added.

The expert attributed the surge to increased mobility, decreased compliance with health protocols, and the new coronavirus variants that were recently detected in the country.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government was seeking to “eliminate” COVID-19 in 2022,  as he vowed ramped up vaccination in the coming months with the expected arrival of millions of doses.

He expressed confidence that the general population will start getting their COVID-19 shots in late April or early May.

The 1,125,600 doses that have arrived in the Philippines so far are reserved for health workers, the top priority in the vaccination program.—LDF, GMA News