COVID-19 deaths top 23,000 with 158 new fatalities
The country’s total COVID-19 deaths climbed to 23,121 after 158 more people lost their lives to the disease, the Department of Health said Wednesday.
The latest DOH case bulletin said the death toll is 1.73% of the case tally, which rose to 1,332,832 with 5,414 new infections. Of the number of infected patients, 4.2% or 56,170 are active cases, with 91.4% experiencing mild symptoms, 4% without symptoms, 1.9% with severe symptoms, 1.3% in critical condition and 1.36% in moderate condition.
The recovery count increased to 1,253,541 or 94.1% of the COVID-19 total after 7,637 patients were cleared of the coronavirus.
The DOH said 375 previously tagged recoveries were reclassified as active cases and 117 recoveries were also reclassified as deaths. Eleven duplicate cases were also removed from the COVID-19 total, including seven survivors. Two survivors were also found to have actually tested negative and were deleted from the count.
The total excludes data from six laboratories that failed to submit their reports on time, the DOH added. These laboratories contributed an average of 3.9% of samples tested and 3% of positive individuals in the last 14 days.
The daily positivity rate or percentage of people who tested positive is 13.7% out of 36,744 conducted on June 14. The World Health Organization’s recommended rate is below 5% as experts noted that higher rates may mean high transmission and possibly more cases left undetected.
On Monday, the national government announced new quarantine classifications, easing rules in Metro Manila and Bulacan despite warnings from health officials of another possible surge if restrictions are lifted too hastily. Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said although Metro Manila’s numbers continue to show improvement, infections are still going up and healthcare capacity is dwindling in areas outside NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal).
In Bicol for instance, a group of physicians claimed hospitals in the region are full, and there is a shortage of medical devices such as ventilators and high-flow nasal cannulas. However, Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero refuted this claim, saying the occupancy rate of the province’s quarantine facilities is only 38% while beds allotted for COVID-19 patients is at 56%.
Among Filipinos abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported two new cases, bringing the tally to 20,076 with 4,578 cases verified by the DOH. The survivor count stayed at 12,085 while the death toll remained at 1,219. There are also 6,972 patients still undergoing treatment.
