AFTER three days of over 14,000 cases, new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases dipped to 10,035 yesterday while the death toll rose to 96 from 27, according to the Department of Health.
In its latest bulletin, the DOH said the “relatively low number of cases today is due to lower laboratory output last Sunday,” adding six laboratories did not submit data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System last August 15.
The total number of infections in the country rose to 1,765,675 while the toll from the deadly virus climbed to 30,462 for a case fatality rate of 1.73.
Active cases lowered slightly to 105,787 from 106,672 last Monday, with 96.1 percent mild cases, 1.3 percent severe cases, 0.9 percent asymptomatic cases, 0.9 percent moderate cases, and 0.7 percent critical cases.
The DOH reported 10,858 more recoveries, raising the number of survivors to 1,629,426.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said 36 more overseas Filipinos tested positive for the deadly virus last week, driving up the total number of cases to 21,767.
The DFA also recorded 45 new recoveries and seven new fatalities among Filipinos abroad due to the virus.
The number of survivors climbed to 12,603 while the death toll rose to 1,332.
Although fully vaccinated, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now on self-quarantine in his hometown of Ilagan City, Isabela.
The Department of Labor and Employment said Bello tested positive last Saturday but is asymptomatic.
Before contracting the virus, the DOLE said Bello has been receiving officials and guests in his office in Intramuros, Manila. He also traveled recently to various parts of the country distributing assistance to displaced and disadvantaged formal and informal sector workers affected by the pandemic.
Four more police personnel died due to COVID-19, raising to 96 the PNP death toll from the virus, PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar reported.
One of the fatalities was last assigned at the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame, a 48-year-old policewoman who tested positive for the virus on July 30 and was admitted at a quarantine facility inside the camp.
She lost her sense of taste and smell on August 3 and was brought to a hospital on August 7 as her condition worsened. She was intubated on Saturday but died later that day.
The second fatality, a 34-year-old policeman assigned with the National Capital Region Police Office, was brought to a clinic on August 7 where he tested positive for COVID-19.
The cop, who received his first COVID-19 vaccine on August 4, died last Monday.
The two other fatalities were assigned in Central Visayas — a 49-year-old who died at a hospital last Saturday, 12 days after testing positive for the virus, and a 41-year-old who died last Sunday or 16 days after he tested positive.
The PNP also recorded 176 new COVID-19 cases in its ranks, bringing to 32,631 the total cases recorded in the police force, with 30,550 having recovered and 1,985 still active cases.
Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna may be discharged from the hospital on Thursday, more than a week after she tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
Dr. Dr. Grace Padilla, director of Sta. Ana Hospital, said Lacuna is doing well since being admitted.
Padilla said Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is also doing well two days after he was admitted to the same hospital due to COVID-19.
Moreno has assured his constituents that the local government will continue its operations and efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The 24/7 vaccination is continuing in the city. We will not stop while we are also making sure of the safety of everyone especially since we are still under the enhanced community quarantine,” Moreno said in his official social media account.
As of Monday, the city health department said it has 1,561 active cases, including 313 new cases, and 10 deaths, bringing the toll to 1,345.
