PH logs 5,279 new COVID-19 cases; total now at 2,756,923

A healthcare worker conducts a swab test on a woman in Imus, Cavite. Image from OVP

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health recorded 5,279 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 2,756,923.

These new cases account for 10.3 percent of the 52,881 individuals tested, the DOH said.

Meanwhile, the DOH recorded 7,312 recoveries which bring total recoveries to 2,654,173. The higher number of recoveries slightly decreased current active infections to 60,957.

The death toll, on the other hand, climbed to 41,793 after the DOH reported 208 more deaths.

Of the total patients currently afflicted with the serious respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, 77.6 percent are suffering from mild cases, 6.1 percent are asymptomatic, 9.20 percent have moderate cases, 5.1 percent are severe, and 2.1 percent are critical.

Two laboratories were not able to submit data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System in the total tests conducted on October 22, the DOH said. These laboratories contribute, on average, 0.3 percent of samples tested and 0.8 percent of positive individuals.

The health agency added that 23 duplicates were removed from the total case count — of which 16 were recoveries.

“Moreover, 154 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation,” it added.

The health care utilization rate also continued to drop as the DOH reported that 53 percent of ICU beds, 41 percent of isolation beds, 38 percent of ward beds, and 37 percent of ventilators are currently in use across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Metro Manila, meanwhile, occupied ICU beds are currently at 46 percent, isolation beds at 35 percent, ward beds at 34 percent while 35 percent of available ventilators were also being used in the region, said DOH.

/MUF