3,604 new COVID-19 cases confirmed; active cases drop to 46k

The Philippines’ tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases rose to 1,481,660 on Tuesday with 3,604 new infections, the lowest daily infections recorded since May 23, as seven laboratories failed to submit data on time.

The country’s active cases further decreased to 46,934, also the lowest since May 26.

Of this, 89.6% are mild, 4.3% are asymptomatic, 2.6% are severe, and 1.6% are in critical condition.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), total recoveries also climbed to 1,408,634 after 5,840 more patients recovered from the illness.

Meanwhile, 77 new fatalities brought the death toll to 26,092.

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

“Moreover, 72 cases previously tagged as recoveries have been validated to be active cases, and 47 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation,” the DOH said.

Data from the DOH showed that 56% of the intensive care unit beds nationwide are in use while 37% of the mechanical ventilators are occupied.

In the National Capital Region, 43% of the ICU beds are being utilized by patients while 33% of the mechanical ventilators are in use.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and the World Health Organization have signed a letter of agreement to formalize the conduct of the COVID-19 vaccine trials in the country.

The Department of Science and Technology earlier said it is scouting for 15,000 participants to take part in the trial. — BM, GMA News