FROM 28,007 last Tuesday, new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases jumped to 32,246 yesterday, the second highest in the country since last Monday when infections soared past the 33K mark, while 144 more lost their battle against the deadly virus.
In its latest bulletin, the Department of Health said the total number of cases in the country rose to 3,058,634 while the death toll climbed to 52,654 for a case fatality rate of 1.72 percent.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in a television interview, said it is likely there are more new cases outside of what is being reported in the daily case bulletin of the agency.
“Currently, majority of the public use antigen tests. But these antigen tests are not included in the reported cases,” said Vergeire. “This is why we are saying there could be more infected than what is being reported.”
She also said the numbers don’t show how many positive individuals have not undergone testing, including those who don’t have access to RT-PCR tests and those who opt not to get tested.
“Many are also choosing to just do the isolation instead of getting tested, partly because they don’t have access to testing. If you don’t get tested but have symptoms, we just assume you have COVID-19 already. We must do the isolation or quarantine as required,” Vergeire said.
Last January 10, the DOH reported the country’s single-day high of 33,169 new cases.
The current positivity rate in the Philippines stood at 45.7 percent among the 63,903 tested samples on January 10.
Active cases soared to 208,164 from 181,016 last Tuesday, with over 197,000 mild cases and 6,400 asymptomatic cases.
The DOH also reported 5,063 additional recoveries, bringing the number of survivors to 2,797,816.
The PNP has put up additional COVID-19 beds amid the growing number of police personnel who have contracted the disease.
Yesterday, the PNP reported 444 new cases in its ranks, pushing the number of active cases in the police force to 2,843, from just 28 last December 31.
PNP chief Dionardo Carlos said 100 beds were put up at the PNP’s badminton court inside Camp Crame that had been turned into a quarantine facility. Carlos said 80 more beds were added at the Training Service facility, another quarantine facility inside Camp Crame.
Land Transportation Office chief Edgar Galvante said 264 of the agency’s 834 employees have tested positive in antigen tests for the deadly virus since January 3, adding 17 turned out positive in RT-PCR confirmatory tests that prompted the temporary closure of the LTO Central Office up to January 17.
Despite the disruption of operations, Galvante said the LTO has been processing and issuing new driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations.
He urged the public to avail of the online services at the LTO’s Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) to minimize their face-to-face exposure in the various LTO offices.
LTO has extended by two months the validity of driver’s licenses, student permits, conductor’s licenses, and medical certificates due to expire this month, February, and March. The registration of vehicles this January has also been extended by a month.
The Antipolo government has reported the temporary closure of its molecular laboratory in Sitio Cabading, Barangay San Jose after many of their health workers tested positive for COVID-19. The lab is set to reopen on January 18. — With Victor Reyes, Noel Talacay, and Christian Oineza
