DOH reports 299 new COVID-19 deaths; notes possible spike in coming weeks

(FILE) Workers in protective suits, used due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, wait outside a crematorium facility as the cremation process takes some two hours in Manila on April 29, 2020. (Photo by Maria TAN / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday reported 299 COVID-19 deaths, raising the total number of patients who succumbed to the disease to 29,838.

Deaths reported in August are now at 1,950, or an average of 150 deaths being added to the COVID-19 death toll per day.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media briefing that “nationally, deaths are now showing signs of a plateau which indicates a possible increase in the following weeks.”

The DOH earlier noted a decline in deaths per actual date in the previous months. According to the department, an average of 133 patients died per day in April this year when the country saw a surge in cases. This later decreased to 117 fatalities daily in May, 95 in June, and 61 in July.

Meanwhile, the DOH reported 13,177 additional cases on Friday—the second-highest daily count after the 15,310 cases on April 2, including over 3,000 backlogs.

Of the active cases, 1.4 percent are severe and 0.8 percent are critical that are at higher risk for death. Meanwhile, 95.8 percent are mild, 1 percent are asymptomatic, and 0.97 percent are moderate cases.

/MUF