With 7,999 new COVID-19 cases, Philippines again tops record for highest daily rise

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on Saturday recorded 7,999 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 656,056.

• Active cases: 80,642 or 12.3% of the total
• Recoveries: 597, pushing total to 562,484
• Deaths: 30, bringing total to 12,930

What's new today?

• This is the highest daily rise in cases seen in the country since the onset of the pandemic, breaking a record set only yesterday when the Department of health logged 7,103 new infections. 

• Health authorities announced Saturday that they detected 114 new cases of three different coronavirus variants, including two that are considered variants of concern.
   
• Johnny Chan, the chairman of Bellevue Hotels and Resorts, is currently hospitalized due to COVID-19, while his wife, Debbie, has died after exposure to the disease, their family said in a statement.
   
• The Department of Foreign Affairs in its bulletin said 19 more Filipinos contracted COVID-19 overseas and another two died. This brings the caseload and death toll among overseas Filipinos to 15,967 and 1047, respectively.
   
• The country's Food and Drug Administration on Friday clarified that Chinese-state run Sinopharm has not yet "officially" applied for the emergency use authorization of its vaccine.
   
• The Philippine National Police on Saturday marked the 35th COVID-19 fatality among its ranks, a police colonel assigned in Metro Manila who passed last March 18 at V. Luna Medical Center, Quezon City. The PNP has so far recorded 12,898 cases of the virus.

— with a report from Xave Gregorio

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