COVID-19 cases in PH soar to 636 with 3 more deaths

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded three more deaths due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 84 new cases of infection in the country.

This brings the number of deaths due to COVID-19 to 38. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country is now recorded at 636.

The DOH also reported six new recoveries, taking the total number of persons who have recovered from the illness to 26 as of 4 pm Wednesday.

This was an increase to the 552 confirmed cases announced by the health department as of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, as well as 35 deaths, and 20 recoveries.

On additional fatalities

According to a case bulletin from the DOH, the new fatalities were patients number 319 or PH319, PH326, and PH29.

PH319 is a 56-year-old Filipino from Quezon City with no recent history of travel. He died on March 22, a day after he tested positive for the illness, due to community-acquired pneumonia secondary to COVID-19. He also had hypertension and diabetes mellitus prior to having the coronavirus disease.

PH326 is a 57-year-old Filipino from Caloocan City with no recent travel history or known exposure to another patient. He died on March 16 but his test results only came out on March 21. DOH said he died because of acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to community-acquired pneumonia high-risk and COVID-19. He also had hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia.

PH29, meanwhile, is an 82-year-old Filipina from Marikina City who recently traveled to the United States and also had a known exposure to another patient. She tested positive for the disease on March 10 and died on March 23. According to DOH, she died due to shock multifactorial (septic and cariogenic), acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia, and acute renal failure secondary to sepsis.

On additional recoveries

Meanwhile, the patients who have recovered were identified as PH95, PH10, PH18, PH82, PH31, and PH23. All of them are Filipinos.

PH95 is a 64-year-old woman from Batangas; PH10 is a 57-year-old man from Quezon City; PH18 is a 41-year-old man from Pasig City; PH82 is a 66-year-old man from Quezon City; PH31 is a 28-year-old Filipina from San Juan City, and; PH23 is a 30-year-old woman from San Juan City.

COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), is caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The virus is related to the virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome but is not as deadly, with only around a 3-percent mortality rate.

WHO said 80 percent of patients experienced mild illness and eventually recovered from the disease, while some 14 percent experienced severe illness and five percent were critically ill. The illness may be fatal for the elderly, the immunocompromised, and those with underlying medical conditions.

Among the symptoms of a COVID-19 infection are fever, tiredness, and a dry cough. Some patients may also experience aches or pains, nasal congestion, a runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea.

The virus is spread through small droplets from the nose or mouth when those infected coughs or sneezes. Health authorities urge the public to practice frequent hand washing, cover their mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and avoid close contact with those exhibiting respiratory symptoms to prevent infection.