While COVID cases in PH decline, number of patients in critical condition doubles

FILE PHOTO: A computer image created by Nexu Science Communication together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus which is the type of virus linked to COVID-19, shared with Reuters on February 18, 2020. NEXU Science Communication/via REUTERS

MANILA, Philippines — While there are less than a thousand cases of COVID-19 reported in the country on Wednesday, the percentage of patients under critical condition have actually doubled, data from the Department of Health (DOH) revealed.

There are 890 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the country on Wednesday to bring the caseload to 2,828,660, according to the DOH.

Of the said cases, 0.6 percent or 17,864 are tagged as “active,” majority of them or 58.2 percent had mild or no symptoms. DOH said 21.39 percent of patients have moderate symptoms.

However, the percentage of patients under the critical condition as of Wednesday now stands at six percent. On November 1, the number of patients under critical condition was only three percent.

“Pinapaalalahanan ang lahat na huwag maging kampante sa banta ng COVID-19,” the DOH said in a statement, noting that the public should continue practicing minimum public health standards.

(We are reminding everyone not to be complacent with the threat of COVID-19.)

There are also 200 new deaths bringing the number of mortalities to 47,682, which is 1.69 percent of all cases.

On the other hand, the total number of recoveries is now at 2,763,114 or 97.7 percent of all infections, after 1,710 new patients survived the virus.

DOH said 17 duplicates were removed from the total case count including 15 recoveries.

A total of 33 cases were also found to have tested negative and have been removed from the total case count, which includes 19 recoveries.

“Moreover, 179 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation,” the DOH added.

DOH also said the current positivity rate is now at 2.5 percent, which is well within the World Health Organization’s positivity rate of five percent.

Meanwhile, the global infection now stands at 258.8 million including 5.1 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Case Tracker.

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