25% of new COVID-19 cases in past week from Mindanao — DOH

(FILE) NO GRIDLOCK Traffic is light at a usually busy section of the city center of Cagayan de Oro as residents choose to stay home due to quarantine restrictions and the rising cases of COVID-19 in the regional capital of Northern Mindanao. —JIGGER J. JERUSALEM

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-five percent of the recorded new COVID-19 infections in the past week came from Mindanao, the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the number of new cases in Mindanao has already “outpaced” those recorded in Metro Manila, with other areas also seeing a spike in cases.

“Nakikita natin nagsi-shift iyong mga burden of cases sa ibang lugar. Aside from Mindanao, we are also seeing rising cases in some parts of the Visayas region, also in some part of the Northern Luzon,” she said in a Laging Handa public briefing.

(We are seeing that the burden of cases has shifted to other areas. Aside from Mindanao, we are also seeing rising cases in some parts of the Visayas region, also in some parts of Northern Luzon.)

Vergeire added that the weekly average of daily cases saw a rise at 6,691 from the previous 5,200 recorded in the past two weeks.

The DOH official attributed the increase of new cases to increased mobility, non-compliance with health protocols, presence of COVID-19 variants, and deficiency in government response particularly in detection, isolation, and treatment.

As of Saturday, June 3, the Philippines has a total 1,262,273 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 59,543 active cases, 1,180,998 recoveries, and 21,732 deaths.

/MUF