Philippines logs 12,576 new COVID-19 infections; active cases exceed 165,000

The Philippines’ tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases rose to 784,043 on Saturday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 12,576 new infections even as seven laboratories failed to submit data on time.

According to the DOH, the new infections brought the number of active cases in the country to 165,715, the highest recorded this year.

Of this, 96.5% are mild, 2.2% are asymptomatic, 0.5% are severe, and 0.5% are in critical condition.

The DOH also announced 599 more patients have recovered from the illness, bringing the total to 604,905, while the death toll climbed to 13,423 with 103 new fatalities.

Thirty duplicate cases were also removed from the total case count.

“Moreover, 48 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation,” the DOH said.

Data from the DOH showed that 60% of the country’s intensive care unit beds are in use while 43% of the mechanical ventilators are occupied.

Meanwhile, 80% of the ICU beds in the Capital Region are being utilized while 63% of the mechanical ventilators are in use.

Earlier, the OCTA Research Group recommended a one-week extension of the enhanced community quarantine imposed in the NCR Plus bubble as the number of cases continued to rise in the country.

The Philippines on Friday reported an all-time high of 15,310 new cases. -MDM, GMA News