COVID-19 infections in Philippines rise to 294,591
MANILA, Philippines — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Philippines increased to 294,591 Wednesday as the Department of Health reported more than 2,000 infections.
The DOH logged 2,833 additional cases, of which 80% got infected within the last two weeks.
Forty-three percent of the new cases came from Metro Manila (1,222), followed by Cavite (228), Negros Occidental (206), Batangas (143) and Bulacan (141).
The Philippines still has the most number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia despite enforcing one of the world’s longest and strictest coronavirus lockdowns.
The department also registered 765 additional recoveries, taking the total number of people who got well to 231,373.
But 44 more deaths related to COVID-19 were logged, raising the toll to 5,091. Of the new deaths, 23 were from virus epicenter Metro Manila, six from Calabarzon and five from Western Visayas.
Active infections stood at 58,127 Wednesday.
More than 3.25 million people have been tested for the disease in the country.
Duterte: All nations should get access to COVID-19 vaccines
In his first speech before the United Nations General Assembly, President Rodrigo Duterte described the coronavirus pandemic as the “biggest test to the world and the United Nations faced since World War II.”
“The invisible enemy that is COVID-19 has brought about an unfamiliar global landscape and unleashed a crisis without precedent,” Duterte said.
The chief executive pointed out that universal access to anti-COVID-19 techonologies and products is essential in recovery from the pandemic.
“When the world finds that vaccine, access to it must not be denied nor withheld. It should be made available to all, rich and poor nations alike, as a matter of policy,” he said.
Duterte has repeatedly said in his speeches that the country’s return to normalcy rests on the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 968,000 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December. More than 31.48 million cases have been registered.
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