THE PHILIPPINES tallied 8,292 new coronavirus infections from Dec. 5 to 11, higher by 7% from a week earlier, health authorities said on Monday.
There was an average of 1,185 new daily cases in the past week, six of which were severe, the Department of Health (DoH) reported.
DoH verified a total of 156 deaths, with 34 between Nov. 28 to Dec. 11.
It added that over 73 million people or 94.28% have been fully vaccinated against the virus as of Sunday.
The Philippines posted 1,134 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total caseload to 4.05 million, the DoH said in a bulletin on Sunday.
The health department noted that this was the fifth straight day of more than 1,000 new cases recorded, with 1,158 tallied on Saturday.
Active cases decreased to 18,252 from 18,387 on Saturday, it added.
The National Capital Region (NCR) recorded the most cases in the last two weeks with 5,591 followed by Calabarzon with 2,260 and Central Luzon with 1,090.
The Philippines had detected 17 total infections of the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BQ.1, the DoH said in a bulletin on Dec. 6.
Meanwhile, the seven-day positivity rate has increased in the capital region Metro Manila, according to a local research group.
NCR posted a positivity rate of 14.4% on Dec. 10 from 12.4% on Dec. 3, according to a bulletin posted Monday on Twitter by Fredegusto P. David, a fellow from the OCTA Research Group.
The number of people who tested positive for the virus also rose in 15 other areas, with the province of Kalinga having the highest at 57.9%, OCTA said. It was followed by Nueva Ecija, where positivity rate increased to 49% from 39.1%.
Daily infections could hit 1,114 to 2,294 by the end of December, while active cases could reach 18,000, DoH Epidemiology Bureau director Alethea R. de Guzman earlier said, citing increased mobility, social gatherings for the holidays, and eased restrictions.
Edsel Maurice T. Salvaña, a member of DoH’s technical advisory group, has said coronavirus deaths would remain low as long as vaccination and boosting rates were pushed. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
