By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora / Philippine News Agency
The Philippines on Christmas Day saw a slight uptick in the number of new COVID-19 cases with 433 infections.
In its latest case bulletin, the Department of Health (DOH) said active cases now stand at 9,376, of which 458 are asymptomatic, 3,430 are mild, 3,337 are moderate, 1,777 are severe, and 374 are critical.
Meanwhile, it logged 369 recoveries, raising the number of those who recuperated from the disease to 2,777,818.
A total of 137 new fatalities, however, brought to 51,187 the coronavirus death toll.
Of the 2,838,381 confirmed cases since the pandemic began, 0.3% are undergoing treatment, 97.9% have recovered, and 1.8% died, the DOH said.
The positivity rate rose from 1.4% on Dec. 22 to 1.6% on Dec. 23 based on the 25,779 people tested for SARS-CoV-2.
The DOH noted that two laboratories were not operational on Dec. 23 while five failed to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System (CDRS).
These seven laboratories contributed at least 0.9% of the samples tested and about 0.6% of the individuals found positive based on data over the past 14 days.
The DOH asked the public to remain vigilant and refrain from being complacent, noting the threat of COVID-19 is still present.
“(D)apat natin ipagpatuloy ang tamang pagsunod sa minimum public health standards at laging magsuot ng face mask na may face shield, mag-physical distancing, at maghugas ng kamay,” it said.
At least 18% of the 3,500 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, 22% of the 19,300 isolation beds, and 11% of the 12,300 ward beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients are filled.
In Metro Manila, 19% of the 1,200 ICU beds, 17% of the 4,500 isolation beds, and 16% of the 3,700 allotted ward beds are occupied. (PNA) – jlo
