COVID-19 cases in Philippines rise to 635,698 with 4,387 new infections

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health recorded 4,387 additional COVID-19 infections Wednesday, taking the country’s total case count to 635,698.

• Active cases: 61,733 or 9.7% of the total
   
• Recoveries: 374, pushing total to 561,099
   
• Deaths: 18, bringing total to 12,866

What’s new today?

• This is the sixth straight day that the country reported more than 4,000 additional cases.
   
• The Philippine government will temporarily suspend the entry of foreign nationals and returning Filipinos who are not overseas Filipino workers as COVID-19 cases spike in the country.
   
• Health authorities in the United Kingdom reported that two cases of the coronavirus variant first reported in the Philippines (P.3) have been found in England.
   
• The DOH reported the death of an individual who had received COVID-19 vaccine and subsequently tested positive for the virus. It said the death was caused by COVID-19, not by the vaccine.
   
• COVID-19 was the seventh leading cause of death in the Philippines in 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported. Ischaemic heart diseases were the leading cause of death for second year in a row, killing 99,680 people.
   
• The DOH and the FDA said that people should not use Ivermectin, a drug typically used to treat parasites, as a treatment for COVID-19.

— Gaea Katreena Cabico with report from Xave Gregorio

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