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 — A total of 1,214 infections of COVID-19 were recorded by the Department of Health (DOH) from May 16 to 22, higher than the number of infections recorded a week before.
These new cases translated to an average of 173 cases per day, based on the DOH’s weekly report on Monday, which is 9.9 percent higher than the past week’s average of 161, of these new cases, 14 or 1.16 percent of the total are classified as severe or critical.
Six more deaths were also verified in the same period — three of which occurred in the month of May, while the rest were backlogs from previous months.
Despite more cases, the DOH report showed that the healthcare utilization rate slightly decreased from the previous week’s 17.5 percent to 17.4 percent, while ICU-bed utilization, from 15.6 to 15.4 percent.
Currently, 718 individuals suffer from critical or severe cases of COVID-19.
On vaccination progress, the weekly report showed that fully-vaccinated individuals are now at 69,042,538 (76.71 percent of the target population) after 377,468 additional individuals were vaccinated in the past week.
Individuals with booster shots, on the other hand, number 13,860,791 after 240,592 additional individuals were inoculated in the same period.
Based on the DOH’s COVID-19 tracker on its website, total cases are currently at 3,688,941 as of May 22, with active cases sitting at 2,252, recoveries at 3,626,234, and 60,455 deaths.
Experts have previously warned that COVID-19 infections may surge by May due to neglected health standards.
Apart from this, the DOH had also said that it already detected local transmission of Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 — estimated to be around 20 percent more infectious than the BA.2.
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