Philippines tallies 1,912 new COVID-19 cases; total now at 494,605

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines logged 1,912 new coronavirus infections Thursday, pushing the country’s total to 494,605.

Of the total, 25,614 or 5.2% are active cases or those who are still undergoing treatment and quarantine.

The Department of Health recorded 746 new recoveries, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors in the country to 459,252.

Meanwhile, the death toll increased by 40 to 9,739.

Where most cases were reported

• Davao City (general community quarantine) – 136
• Quezon City (GCQ) – 107
• Agusan del Sur (modified GCQ) – 61
• Dagupan City (MGCQ) – 57
• Cavite (MGCQ) – 54

What’s new today?

• The DOH on Wednesday confirmed the country's first case of the new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus: a 29-year-old man who arrived from the United Arab Emirates on January 7. The patient, his companion and relatives are undergoing quarantine as authorities track down the other passengers of Emirates flight EK332.
• The health department said it is recommending including UAE in the list of nations covered by the country’s travel restrictions.
• The country’s Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine of Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE for emergency use. It became the first COVID-19 jab to get the authorization needed for it to be rolled out by the government in its inoculation program.
• The Philippine government and private firms signed another deal with AstraZeneca for 17 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. This follows the first agreement signed in November for 2.6 million doses.
• Sinovac Biotech Ltd. applied for EUA of its controversial shot. The efficacy of the Chinese-made vaccine is subject to uncertainty as data from its late-stage trials have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

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