MANILA, Philippines — The country’s tally of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases reached 470,650 after the Department of Health recorded 766 new infections on Monday.
The new cases brought the total number of active cases to 22,746, according to the DOH’s daily case bulletin.
The DOH said the continuing decrease in cases over the holiday season (Dec. 24 to Jan. 4) is due to the decreased number of patients getting tested.
“Many people want to celebrate the holidays at home,” DOH said.
The health department said 175 laboratories were able to submit their reports on Dec. 26: eight laboratories reported no operations on that day, while 27 laboratories reported seeing zero patients.
Many others were also observed to have a decreased census, DOH said.
“The DOH is strictly monitoring the output and operating schedules of the laboratories for the next two weeks,” DOH said.
“We are reminding all LGUs (local government units) to ensure that contact tracing and case investigation efforts are maintained over the holidays so that no potential cases are missed. LGUs should ensure that contact tracing and isolation of cases and close contacts are initiated immediately without waiting for test results,” it added.
The DOH also urged the public to consult with their physician or nearest health center if they experience any symptoms of COVID-19.
The country’s recovered cases also increased to 438,780 after 104 more individuals recovered from the deadly respiratory disease, while the death toll reached 9,124 with 15 more fatalities recorded.
Davao City recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 infections with 60 new cases, followed by Quezon City (46 cases), Benguet (41), Laguna (39), and Rizal (37).
The DOH said it removed two duplicates from the total case count, one of which was a recovered case.
Moreover, one case previously tagged as recovered was reclassified as a death.