Active COVID-19 cases in Zambales hit to 2-month high

The Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital in Iba town, Zambales province has been preparing for a surge in COVID-19 infections amid the growing threat of the Omicron variant. The hospital is the main COVID-19 facility in the province. (Photo by Joanna Rose Aglibot)

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — Some 65 new COVID-19 cases were reported in this province over the weekend, increasing the total number of active cases to 192.

The latest data from the provincial health office showed that 51 new cases were logged on Saturday, January 8, and 14 new cases on Sunday.

Local healthcare workers had seen a downward trend in the daily cases in the last two months, recording fewer than five cases most of the time.

But after the holiday season, the province has already been logging at least 10 new cases per day.

Since the pandemic broke out in 2020, the province has recorded 10,069 coronavirus cases but 9,650 of which had already recovered from COVID-19.

No new fatalities were reported, keeping the number of COVID-19 related deaths at 610.

At least 277,429 residents in the province or 60.96 percent of the target population had been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the newest coronavirus strain that causes the severe respiratory illness COVID-19. INQ