Coronavirus cases top 370,000 as deaths near 7,000
THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) reported 2,223 coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total to 370,028.
The death toll rose by 43 to 6,977, while recoveries increased by 14,944 to 328,036, it said in a bulletin.
There were 35,015 active cases, 82% of which were mild, 11.3% did not show symptoms, 2.4% were severe and 4.2% were critical.
Of the new cases, 112 came from Quezon City, 111 from Laguna, 109 from Rizal, 79 from Cavite and 74 from Batangas, the agency said.
Metro Manila had the highest number of new deaths with 16, followed by the Calabarzon region with eight, Caraga with four, and Central Luzon and Soccsksargen with three deaths each.
The Ilocos region and Zamboanga Peninsula reported two deaths each, while the Bicol region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Davao region reported one death each.
More than 4.3 million people have been tested for the coronavirus, DoH said.
Last week, Health authorities said DoH was P10.5 billion short of funds for coronavirus vaccines to cover a fifth of the Philippines’ more than 100 million population once they become available.
The agency needs more than P12 billion to inoculate priority groups including health workers and the poor, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told an online news briefing last week.
It only had allotted P2.5 billion for vaccines in its P204-billion budget for next year. The cost considered two doses for each person, she said.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte earlier said the Philippines has funds to buy coronavirus vaccines but it needs 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, adding that he was okay with vaccines developed either by Russia or China.
Marikina Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo at the weekend said vaccinating 20 million Filipinos would cost almost P13 billion. She added that the budget was only enough to cover 3.9 million Filipinos at a testing price of P641 each. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
