PH’s active COVID-19 cases breach 130,000th mark with 6,128 new infections

FILE PHOTO: This undated transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, also known as novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S. NIAID-RML/Handout via REUTERS.

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s total active COVID-19 cases climbed to 130,245 on Wednesday following the detection of additional 6,128 infections.

The new cases brought the country’s running total of COVID-19 cases to 747,288, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

There were also 491 patients who have recovered, raising the number of individuals who have survived the respiratory illness to 603,746.

However, 106 additional fatalities brought the death toll to 13,297.

The DOH said active cases represent 17.4 percent of the data, while recoveries and deaths make up 80.8 and 1.78 percent of the tally, respectively.

Of the active cases, 98.4 percent are mild and asymptomatic.

According to the health department, 19.9 percent of the 39,775 people who were tested have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

Meanwhile, 21 duplicate entries, including eight recoveries were removed from the case count. Forty-seven cases tagged as recoveries were also reclassified as deaths after validation.

Six laboratories were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System on Tuesday.

Wednesday’s number is relatively different from the record of over 9,000 new daily cases in five straight days. On Monday, the country logged the highest single-day tally for COVID-19 cases with 10,016 additional patients.

The Philippines has so far secured a total of 2,525,600 doses of AstraZeneca and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines. A million of these doses were those procured by the government from Sinovac Biotech which only arrived on March 29. The rest were donated either by the global vaccine sharing pool Covax Facility or by the Chinese government.

As of March 29, 702,362 health workers and senior citizens have received their first vaccine dose in the country, according to DOH.

Some 404 healthcare workers have already received their second shots.

To curb the rapid spread of COVID-19 cases, the government earlier placed the NCR Plus, covering Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan, under enhanced community quarantine—the strictest quarantine level in the country that was also imposed in March last year. The latest ECQ started on March 29 and will lapse on April 4.

The DOH advised the public that reported COVID-19 cases will further increase with the future inclusion of rapid antigen test results from the NCR Plus in the tally of infections.

JPV