Philippines ends another pandemic year with 2,961 new cases
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on New Year’s Eve recorded nearly 3,000 new COVID-19 cases, the highest since November 1, as the country braces for the impact of the fast spreading Omicron variant.
The Department of Health reported Friday 2,961 new infections, raising the number of active cases to 14,233.
Of the new cases, 99% occurred from December 18 to 31, the DOH said. Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon were the regions with the most cases in the recent two weeks.
The positivity rate was at 10.3%, surpassing the positivity rate of less than 5% recommended by the World Health Organization. A total of 30,526 tests were conducted on Wednesday.
The DOH also logged 132 new fatalities, bringing the total number of COVID-related deaths to 51,504.
Since the pandemic began in 2020, the Philippines has registered 2,843,979 cases. Of the total, 97.7% have recovered.
The Philippines is seeing a renewed increase in infections and preparing for the spread of the Omicron variant, which is threatening health systems overseas and forcing governments to reimpose curbs.
The DOH reminded the public to continue practicing minimum public health standards and avoid gatherings, and urged unvaccinated senior citizens to get jabbed.
The agency will continue to issue COVID-19 bulletins until further notice, it told reporters.
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