MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines logged over 2,000 new coronavirus infections Friday, pushing the country’s total to 456,562 as the government prepares for a surge in cases during the holiday season.
A week before Christmas, the country reported 2,122 new COVID-19 cases. The last time the daily tally surpassed the 2,000-level was on November 29 when the country had 2,076 additional cases.
This was also the highest daily tally since November 8 when the DOH recorded 2,442 additional infections.
Quezon City reported the highest number of new cases with 160. It was followed by Rizal with 105, Bulacan with 91, Makati City with 83 and Davao City with 79.
Friday’s figures did not include data from four laboratories that failed to submit on time.
The DOH also recorded 778 new recoveries, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors in the country to 420,666.
Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 8,875 after 25 more patients succumbed to the disease.
Of the total recorded cases, 27,021 or 5.9% are active. Majority or 84% of these are mild cases, 7% are asymptomatic, 5.1% are in critical condition, 2.5% are severe cases and 0.31% have moderate symptoms.
The DOH has been urging the public to wear masks and face shields, observe physical distancing, practice frequent handwashing and avoiding crowded and enclosed areas. People have been also advised to avoid activities that eject respiratory droplets into the air such as singing.
Currently, the Philippines has the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.
Worldwide, nearly 75 million COVID-19 cases have been logged, with nearly 1.66 million deaths.