More than a week before Valentine’s Day, the Department of Health (DOH) is urging the public to avoid crowded places amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the threat of the deadly disease has not yet been abated despite the anticipated arrival of vaccines in the country.
“Kailangan lagi tayong handa. It doesn’t matter if the holiday kung ano ‘yan, kung Christmas, kung feast ng isang santo o ‘di kaya itong parating na Valentine’s Day (We should always be ready. It doesn’t matter if it’s the holidays such as Christmas, feast days of saints, or the upcoming Valentine’s Day),” Usec. Vergeire advised.
The public is strongly encouraged to comply with minimum health standards to avoid contracting the virus, considering the high number of recorded daily cases and fatalities in the past few days.
Within the last six days, deaths related to COVID-19 have reached 50. This has been attributed to the data harmonization of unreported cases in the previous months. At least 74 percent of the numbers were from March to October 2020.
A total of 1,894 new COVID-19 cases were reported on February 5, bringing the tally to 533,587. Recoveries reached 488,274 after 397 were added, while the death toll increased to 11,058 after 61 were recently added. – Report from Mark Fetalco
