DOH records 580 new COVID-19 infections; active tally hits 12,162

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday recorded 580 new COVID-19 infections, while the active tally increased to 12,162.

Based on the latest data, the DOH said the active cases increased from 11,779 on Thursday.

The new infections pushed the nationwide tally to 4,066,527.

The National Capital Region (NCR) remained the region with the most cases with 2,383 in the recent two weeks. It was followed by Calabarzon with 1,179, Central Luzon with 546, Western Visayas with 329, and Cagayan Valley with 277.

The recovery tally also climbed to 3,988,911, while the death tally also reached 65,454.

The latest data also showed that at least 5,455 beds were occupied, while 21,600 were vacant as the bed occupancy in the country increased to 20.2% as of Wednesday, January 4.

A total of 11,393 individuals were tested, while 332 testing labs submitted data as of Thursday, January 5.

No significant increase of COVID-19 cases due to holidays

The DOH said there is no significant increase yet of COVID-19 cases after the recent holiday celebrations.

At a press conference, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the COVID-19 cases are now averaging 426 per day, which is 28% lower compared to the previous week.

“Ngayon po nakikita natin ang ating kaso dito sa ating bansa ng COVID-19 continuously going down. It has plateaued and declined pero 'di pa natin masasabi na magtutuloy-tuloy ito. Kailangan pa rin natin mapagmatiyag and we will monitor,” she said.

(Now we are seeing that the number of cases of COVID-19 in the country is continuously going down. It has plateaued and declined but we still cannot say if this trend will continue. We need to be alert and we will monitor.)

Vergeire also said the COVID-19 positivity rate in the country went down from 8.8% to 6.6%.

The positivity rate refers to the percentage of people who were found positive for COVID-19 among the total number of individuals tested.

“Pag tinignan natin in the whole, we can say that we are at that level kung saan nagpa-plateau ang mga kaso. We are at low risk utilization, and we are still not seeing any significant effect of the holidays dito sa mga numero ng mga kaso. Patuloy pa rin tayo magmomonitor,” she said.

(When we look at the situation as a whole, we can say that we are at that level where cases have plateaued. We are at low risk utilization, and we are still not seeing any significant effect of the holidays in the number of COVID-19 cases. We are continuously monitoring.)

Devotees attending 2023 Black Nazarene activities

Meanwhile, Vergeire advised devotees who will attend the activities related to the Feast of the Black Nazarene 2023 to follow health protocols in order to prevent the spread of infections.

She reiterated the need to continue wearing face masks and follow social distancing during the activities.

“Kailangan lagi nating isaisip kapag kayo ay nakakaranas na ng sintomas ng COVID-19 o parang tinatrangkaso, huwag na po tayo umattend ng religious gathering na ito dahil baka po kayo ay makapanghawa pa sa ibang tao,” she said.

(We should always keep in mind that if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or flu, you should not attend a religious gathering like this because you might just infect other people.)

“And siyempre aside from COVID-19, mayroon pa rin pong ibang sakit. Atin pong ipagpatuloy lang ang pagko-comply at pag-practice ng minimum public health,” she added.

(And of course, aside from COVID-19, there are other illnesses. Let us continue complying and practicing minimum public health [standards].)

Among the Black Nazarene activities is the Walk of Faith procession which will start from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church in Manila on January 8, 2023, from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

There will also be Masses to be held on January 9 at Quiapo Church. —KG, GMA Integrated News