Covid-19 deaths now 10,749
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday reported 2,103 additional coronavirus infections and 80 more deaths, bringing the overall number of confirmed Covid-19 cases to 525,618 and the death toll to 10,749.
The latest deaths, including five people who were previously tagged as recovered, brought the case fatality rate (the proportion of deaths from among confirmed cases) to 2.05 percent, the highest since Aug. 1.
Active cases
In its latest weekly mass recovery, the DOH declared 11,653 infected people with mild or no symptoms who had completed a 14-day quarantine as recovered, raising the total number of Covid-19 survivors to 487,551.
The latest deaths and recoveries left the country with 27,318 active cases, of which 87.7 percent were mild, 5.5 percent was asymptomatic, 0.6 percent moderate, 2.8 percent severe, and 3.3 percent critical.
The DOH said 1,609 people tested positive for the virus out of the 26,595 who were tested on Dec. 30, for a positivity rate of 6.1 percent.
Ten laboratories were unable to submit their data to the DOH.
Article continues after this advertisementThe DOH did not list the five cities and provinces that recorded the most cases in its bulletin for Sunday.
Article continues after this advertisementAfter Baguio City pointed out a discrepancy in daily reported cases, the DOH admitted that the data in its daily bulletin was two days old.
Meanwhile, the country’s confirmed cases of the new COVID-19 variant first reported in the United Kingdom remain 17.
Citing the global shortage of sequencing reagents, the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) was able to sequence only 48 samples for the fourth batch of sequencing and none of them was positive for the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant.
According to the DOH, the PGC will sequence another 48 samples this week, including samples taken from the Cordillera Administrative Region and targeted areas, while waiting for the kits and reagents for genomic sequencing.
“While no new cases have been detected, minimum public health standards remain the best precautionary measure against Coid-19 regardless of the variant,” the DOH said. INQ
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For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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