5,221 more COVID-19 cases raise PH’s active tally to 45,495

(FILE) Health workers assist residents of Baesa, Quezon City to undergo swabbing at the mobile testing unit parked along Mendez Street on Wednesday, July 1. The mobile unit goes around the communities to test residents for the coronavirus.-INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The number of new COVID-19 cases climbed to over 5,000 again on Thursday, bringing to 45,495 the number of active coronavirus cases in the country.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the 5,221 additional infections brought the country’s total confirmed cases to 1,490,665. There were only over 3,000 new cases recorded on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile, another 4,147 patients have recovered, raising the recovery tally to 1,418,856. However, 82 more patients have died of COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 26,314.

The DOH said 10.2 percent of 48,069 individuals tested were found positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday.

The health department said all laboratories were operational on Tuesday but four laboratories were not able to submit their data. Based on data over the last 14 days, the four non-reporting laboratories contribute, on average, 2.4 percent of tested samples and 2.3 percent of COVID-19 positive individuals.

Three duplicates, including 10 recoveries, were removed from the total case count. The DOH added that 52 cases initially tagged as recoveries were later validated to be active cases and 46 cases earlier counted as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.

/MUF