DoH reports 5,790 more infections, 19,191 total deaths
THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) reported 5,790 coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total to 1.14 million.
The death toll rose by 140 to 19,191, while recoveries increased by 7,541 to 1.07 million, it said in a bulletin.
There were 54,904 active cases, 1.4% of which were critical, 93.3% were mild, 2.1% did not show symptoms, 1.9% were severe and 1.23% were moderate.
The agency traced the low tally to fewer samples from laboratories on Friday.
It said 14 duplicates had been removed from the tally, 10 of which were tagged as recoveries and one as death. Ninety recoveries were reclassified as deaths.
About 11.8 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of May 14, according to DoH’s tracker website.
The coronavirus has sickened about 163.2 million and killed 3.4 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.
About 141.5 million people have recovered, it said.
The Health department on Saturday reported 10 more people infected with the more contagious variant first detected in India, bringing the total to 12.
Of the 10, one was a seafarer from Belgium who arrived in Manila from the United Arab Emirates on April 24. He finished his quarantine on May 13.
The nine others were among 12 Filipino crew members of MV Athens Bridge who got infected. Four of the nine were admitted at a hospital in the capital and were in stable condition, while the rest were in an isolation facility.
The Maritime Industry Authority in a statement on May 7 said MV Athens Bridge left India on April 22 and arrived in Vietnam, where the crew members got tested.
The Philippine Coast Guard received a request from the vessel’s captain on May 6 for a medical evaluation of the two crew members needing medical attention. The vessel was then 12 nautical miles west of Corregidor Island.
DoH said all of the close contacts of the first two patients with the variant from India had completed their quarantine. It said a sample from one of the three close contacts of the second case in the plane had tested negative for the Indian variant.
The agency said 13 more people had been infected with the coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom, bringing the total to 967.
Seven more people also got infected with the variant first detected in South Africa, bringing the total to 1,109.
One more patient got infected with the variant first detected in the Philippines.
DoH said the variant first found in the Philippines is not a variant of concern. “This variant is currently being investigated and information continually collected to determine its public health implication.“ — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
