COVID-19 cases in Philippines cross 450,000; deaths at 8,757
MANILA, Philippines — Coronavirus cases in the Philippines climbed past 450,000 Monday after the Department of Health recorded 1,339 additional infections.
Total COVID-19 cases in the country stood at 450,733, of which 23,353 or 5.2% were active. The OCTA Research Group earlier projected that coronavirus infections could reach 480,000 by the end of 2020.
Quezon City reported the highest number of additional cases at 147. Davao City had 124 new cases, followed by Rizal with 65, Laguna with 50 and City of Manila with 49.
Recoveries rose to 418,723 after 41 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness. The DOH logged 9,269 new recoveries Sunday as part of its weekly “mass recovery” program.
Total recoveries accounted for 92.9% of the nation’s confirmed caes.
But 24 more COVID-19-related deaths were registered, pushing the fatality count to 8,757.
Monday's figures did not include data from nine testing laboratories that failed to submit their results on time.
Filipinos would spend Christmas and New Year under quarantine—one of the longest lockdowns in the world. Community quarantines were first implemented in mid-March to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
“These community quarantines, together with other protocols and standards we are trying to enforce, have tremendously helped our country in this response by saving lives, by having our health system intact so it doesn’t get overwhelmed,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing Monday.
She renewed the department's call to the public to follow minimum health protocols such as face mask wearing, frequent handwashing and maintaining physical distance as the country braces for the possible surge of COVID-19 cases after the holiday season.
The pandemic has killed 1.6 million people globally since surfacing in China late last year. More than 72 million cases have been confirmed.
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