COVID-19 infections nearing 400,000 with 7,539 deaths — DoH
THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) reported 2,442 coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total to 396,395.
The death toll rose by 54 to 7,539, while recoveries increased by 11,430 to 361,638, it said in a bulletin.
There were 27,218 active cases, 82% of which were mild, 9.6% did not show symptoms, 5.4% were critical and 3.1% were severe.
Rizal province reported the highest number of new cases at 138, followed by Manila at 131, Benguet at 130, Batangas at 113 and Bulacan at 112.
DoH said eight duplicates had been removed from the tally, three of which were recovered cases. Five cases previously tagged as recovered were reclassified as deaths. It also said 13 laboratories failed to submit data on Nov. 7.
The Philippine government is considering orders for 24 million units of coronavirus vaccines and may start inoculating Filipinos by May, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said last week.
The vaccines might be ordered in the first quarter, he told the ABS-CBN News Channel.
The inoculation program might start as late as the end of next year if vaccine development and manufacturing are delayed.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte last month said the government had funds to buy coronavirus vaccines, but it needed more so the entire population of more than 100 million could be inoculated.
He said he would look for more funds so all Filipinos could be vaccinated. The President said he was okay with vaccines developed either by Russia or China.
Mr. Duterte said he had spoken with outgoing Russian Ambassador Igor A. Khovaev and was told that Russia intends to set up a pharmaceutical company in the Philippines that will make the vaccines available here.
He said soldiers and the police would be among the first ones to be vaccinated, along with poor Filipinos.
The coronavirus has sickened about 50.3 million and killed 1.3 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.
About 35.6 million people have recovered, it said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
