Phl logs record 7,999 new COVID-19 cases

It was another record-breaking day as new COVID-19 cases in the country yesterday totaled 7,999, the highest single-day surge since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

- SHEILA CRISOSTOMO

Data from the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday also showed 114 new cases of South Africa, United Kingdom and P.3 variants. Data did not indicate, however, if the cases of the new variants were part of yesterday’s total.

The new cases brought to 656,056 the total number of reported COVID-19 infections in the country.

There were 80,642 active cases, representing 12.3 percent of the total. The positivity rate was pegged at 14.6 percent, which is way above the five percent recommendation of the World Health Organization.

Data also showed that 30 patients succumbed to the virus, raising the number of deaths to 12,930.

A total of 597 patients recovered, bringing the number of recoveries to 562,484.

Based on data, 50 percent of the 1,900 beds assigned to COVID-19 cases are now occupied.

Of the 13,500 isolation beds, 40 percent are utilized while only 37 percent of the 6,000 ward beds are occupied. On the other hand, 32 percent of the 2,000 mechanical ventilators are in use.

Of the 114 cases of new variants reported yesterday, 62 cases were South African, 46 were UK variant and six P.3 variant.

“These additional cases were among the 150 samples composed mostly of samples from NCR (National Capital Region) laboratories. Information of cases with these variants are being investigated and verified,” the DOH noted.

The new variant cases form part of the 11th batch of swab specimens subjected to the whole genome sequencing (WGS) conducted by the DOH, University of the Philippines Philippines Genome Center and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health.