Record-high nearly 8k COVID cases added Saturday; PHL active cases breach 80k as more variant cases emerge

PHL total COVID-cases, including recoveries, reach 656,056

Courtesy DOH

 

(Eagle News) – Close to 8,000 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were added to the Philippines on Saturday, March 20, the biggest single-day tally so far since the pandemic began last year.

With this latest addition of 7,999 new cases, the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the country reached 80,642, also a record-high.

Total confirmed cases in the Philippines reached 656,056 as the country tried to battle and cope with increasing number of variant cases.

(File photo) Residents wearing face masks stand next to a police line placed at the entrance to their home as the local government prepares to impose a lockdown in the neighbourhood in Manila on March 10, 2021, as the number of new daily cases has soared past 3,000 in recent days – most in the Metro Manila area. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

There were 30 reported deaths on Saturday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 12,930. There was a high number of recoveries at 597, bringing the total to 562,484 or 85.7 percent of total cases.

The Department of Health (DOH), however, said that most of the active cases (97.5 percent) were either mild or asymptomatic. These are broken down as follows: 94.4 percent were mild while 3.1 percent were asymptomatic.

At least 1 percent of the active cases were severe, 0.9 percent were critical, while 0.53 percent were moderate.

While more people were tested at 30,131 on March 19, there was a higher percentage of those tested who turned out positive at 14.6 percent – or 4,390.

Nationwide, the ICU beds which were already being utilized nationwide reached 50 percent, while isolation beds currently used reached 40 percent. Ward beds used reached 37 percent of the total nationwide, while 32 percent of the ventilators are currently being utilized.

According to the DOH figures, Quezon City and the City of Manila accounted for the highest number of new cases for the past two weeks, followed by Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

Metro Manila reported the highest number of cases the past two weeks by date of onset of illness, followed by CALABARZON (Region 4-A), Central Visayas (Region 7), Central Luzon (Region 3), and Western Visayas (Region 6).

On Friday, March 19, the DOH has reported 7,103 additional cases.

(Eagle News Service)