MANILA, Philippines — The country now has nearly 453,000 confirmed coronavirus cases after the Department of Health reported 1,156 new infections Wednesday.
The additional cases brought the nation’s caseload to 452,988, of which 1,156 or 5.5% were considered active.
Davao City recorded the most number of new infections with 126. It was followed by Quezon City with 66, Rizal with 64, Bulacan with 56 and City of Manila with 38.
Researchers studying the coronavirus outbreak in the country earlier projected that COVID-19 cases could reach 480,000 by end-December.
The number of COVID-19 survivors increased by 425 to 419,282. Total recoveries accounted for 92.6% of the country’s total case count.
But 21 more fatalities were reported, pushing the death toll to 8,833.
Wednesday’s figures did not include data from five testing laboratories that failed to submit results on time.
The government’s inter-agency task force on coronavirus response is now requiring people to wear full-coverage face shields on top of face mask. This new rule was introduced at a time when the government braces for a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Christmas and New Year holidays.
It also allowed provincial buses with point-to-point routes to resume operations.
Globally, COVID-19 cases have reached 73 million, including over 1.6 million deaths.