The SUN HK : Active coronavirus cases in Phl surge past 91k

25 March 2021

By The SUN

The number of new coronavirus cases now far outnumber recoveries

Coronavirus cases continue to mount in the Philippines, with the number of active cases rising to 91,754 on Wednesday, Mar 24, the highest since the pandemic began.

The Department of Health said in its daily advisory that the number of new infections increased by 6,666, driving up the total confirmed cases to 684,311.

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Forty-seven new fatalities lifted the number of deaths to 13,039, while 1,072 patients recovered, bringing up the total to 579,518.

Dr Alethea de Guzman from the DOH Epidemiology Bureau said cities in Metro Manila are now at the “high to critical risk” threshold, with infections in several cities surging 200% from the previous weeks.

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De Guzman said the possible effects of the government’s interventions to curb the spread of Covid-19 could be seen in two to three weeks.

In the regions, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, and Caraga are at moderate risk levels, the official said.

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The country now has 223 confirmed cases of the UK variant, 152 cases of the South African variant, one case of the Brazil variant, and 104 cases of P.3, a variant of a new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 found in the Philippines.

The first three variants have been associated with high transmissibility while the P.3 has not yet been declared as a variant of concern as current data is insufficient, the DOH said.

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As the number of infections continued to rise, the Philippines today received 400,000 additional doses of the vaccine from Sinovac donated by China, in addition to the initial 600,000 doses that arrived on Feb 28.

First batch of Sinovac vaccine donated by China (CNN photo)

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III and other Philippine officials joined Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian in welcoming the second batch of the vaccines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

As initial doses from Sinovac and AstraZeneca continue to be rolled out in the county, NTF chief implementer Carlito G. Galvez Jr pursues talks with different pharmaceutical companies to secure more vaccines to inoculate 70% of the population to achieve herd immunity.

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The government says it expects to receive almost 2 million doses more by the end of March through negotiations with Sinovac and via the WHO-led Covax Facility.

One million doses will come from Sinovac and the remaining 979,200 from AstraZeneca through the Covax Facility.