PH logs 235 fresh cases of COVID-19, lowest since May 23, 2020

FILE PHOTO: This undated transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, also known as novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S. NIAID-RML/Handout via REUTERS.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) reported 235 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the lowest the country has recorded since May 23, 2020.

The country last recorded numbers this low was on May 23 of last year, with 185 cases.

The DOH also recorded 780 new recoveries, bringing active cases down the 11,000-mark, at 10,526 marking the third week or the 21st consecutive day the country recorded less than 1,000 cases per day. According to the DOH, 97 percent or 228 of the 235 cases occurred within the recent 14 days.

The positivity rate is also at its lowest at 0.9 percent out of 24,120 tests conducted. The test rate, however, is considerably lower than the past days’, after 12 labs were not able to submit their data, said the DOH.

With this, the total confirmed cases are now at 2,836,868, while recoveries are at 2,775,991.

Of the individuals still afflicted with the deadly virus, 45.2 percent suffer mild or asymptomatic cases, specifically, 4,104 individuals are suffering mild cases, 659 asymptomatic, 3,502 moderate, 1,868 severe, and 393 critical.

The DOH also recorded 10 new deaths, increasing the death toll to 50,351.

These numbers were logged while four laboratories were not operational, and eight labs were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System on the tests conducted on Dec. 12, said the DOH.

These 12 labs contribute, on average, 1.5 percent of samples tested and 2.6 percent of positive individuals.

The health agency likewise said that five duplicates were removed from the total case count, four of which were recoveries.

The DOH also said that it removed from the total case count the 165 cases that were found to have tested negative for the new coronavirus.

“Of these, 161 are recoveries,” it noted.

Moreover, the DOH said 3 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.

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