COVID-19 death toll in PH top 40K with 173 more fatalities

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s COVID-19 death toll reached 40,049 on Wednesday with additional 173 patients dying from the disease.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the total deaths represent 1.49 percent of the 2,690,455 total confirmed cases of the disease that were detected since the pandemic started.

The DOH has so far reported over 1,500 deaths since October 1 based on its previous case bulletins. The department reported 191 deaths on Friday, 273 on Saturday, 119 on Sunday, 36 on Monday, and 263 deaths on Tuesday.

A total of 82,411 patients still have COVID-19. Of this number, 3.7 percent are severe and 1.6 percent are critical cases that are at higher risk for death. Meanwhile, 75.3 percent are mild, 12.1 percent are asymptomatic, and 7.25 percent are moderate cases.

The DOH defines severe cases as patients with clinical signs of severe pneumonia or severe acute respiratory infection, while critical cases are patients with impending or ongoing respiratory failure, in need of mechanical ventilation, or with evidence of end-organ damage or with septic shock.

According to the DOH bulletin, 67 percent of ICU beds, 52 percent of isolation and ward beds, and 49 percent of ventilators are currently being used.

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