(Eagle News) — COVID-19 cases in the Philippines rose to 2,834,294 on Saturday, Dec. 4, with the addition of 517 cases.
According to the Department of Health, of these, 14338 were active.
Of the active cases, 911 were asymptomatic, 6350 were mild, 3837 were moderate, 2425 were severe, and 815 were critical.
Recoveries climbed to 2,770,726 with the addition of 1139 recoveries.
The Philippines logged 243 more COVID-19 deaths, pushing the death toll to 49,230.
The government is monitoring the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, which was initially blamed for the surge of COVID-19 cases in South Africa.
It has announced new testing and quarantine protocols for travelers allowed to enter the country.
However, the DOH has acknowledged that the question about the possible entry of the Omicron variant into the Philippines was not a matter of if but when.
The Omicron variant has been found to have over 30 genetic changes, more than half of which were concentrated in the area of the spike protein that attaches to the human enzyme ACE-2.
This is the enzyme the COVID-19 virus attaches to to get a person infected.
The findings have prompted Italian scientists to conclude the Omicron variant has adapted well to humans.
The World Health Organization has said this could mean the variant could easily evade existing immunity, noting possible “future surges of Covid-19, which could have severe consequences.”
