Philippines records highest daily coronavirus infections at 28,707
By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter
CORONAVIRUS infections in the Philippines continued to climb as health authorities reported record infections of 28,707 on Sunday.
The tally topped the previous record of 26,458 infections on Saturday, bringing the total to 2.97 million. The death toll hit 52,150 after 15 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 2,579 to 2.79 million, the Department of Health (DoH) said in a bulletin.
The agency said 44% of 77,479 samples on Jan. 7 tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), way above the 5% benchmark set by the World Health Organization.
There were 128,114 active cases, 4,213 of which did not show symptoms, 119,276 were mild, 2,851 were moderate, 1,465 were severe and 309 were critical.
The agency said 99% of the cases occurred from Dec. 27 to Jan. 9. The top regions with new cases in the past two weeks were Metro Manila with 16,803 infections, Calabarzon with 5,821 and Central Luzon with 2,841.
It said 73% of the deaths occurred this month, 7% each in December and October and 13% in September. A fifth of the deaths came from Calabarzon, another 20% each from Western Visayas and Central Luzon, 13% each from Cagayan Valley and Metro Manila, and 7% each from Central Visayas and Ilocos.
The agency said 135 duplicates had been removed from the tally, 116 of which were recoveries. Three recoveries were relisted as deaths. Fourteen laboratories failed to submit data on Jan. 7.
DoH said 35% of intensive care units in the Philippines were occupied, while the rate for Metro Manila was 52%.
The Philippines might record as many as 35,000 infections this week, Fredegusto P. David, a fellow from the OCTA Research Group, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.
Health experts have warned that coronavirus infections in the country could exceed numbers from previous surges. They said the surge driven by the heavily mutated Omicron variant could exhaust the country’s health system.
RUMORS
The Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the state’s main COVID-19 referral hospital, has recorded a steady increase in patients.
About 30 intensive care unit beds for coronavirus patients at the hospital were fully occupied, PGH spokesman Jonas D. Del Rosario said by telephone.
“We are preparing for a steady increase in patients in the next coming weeks,” he said, noting that the state hospital had admitted 291 coronavirus patients.
Mr. Del Rosario said a number of COVID-19 patients admitted to PGH had other serious ailments. “We have a lot of patients who come in for different reasons and it turns out some of them are COVID-19-positive,” the doctor said.
“Since they have comorbidities, we have to admit them.”
He said the most common symptoms among coronavirus patients at the state-run hospital were sore throat, headaches, body aches, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems.
Most coronavirus patients at PGH did not need to be intubated, he said. “Very few came to us in respiratory distress. This time, respiratory distress is not so common.”
Also on Sunday, the presidential palace said an inter-agency task force had recommended an increase in bed capacities in the National Capital Region and nearby areas.
The task force also said the government must ensure that patients needing care are promptly referred to hospitals, palace spokesman Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said in a statement.
The government should also reassess the capacity of temporary treatment and monitoring facilities and remove any referral quotas from hospitals.
Hospitals in the capital region have been asked to report how they were allocating COVID-19 bed capacities, Mr. Nograles said.
The task force also said the government should boost the capacity of telehealth and telemedicine outside Metro Manila. The state should also increase vaccination rates outside Metro Manila as soon as possible.
“We encourage all who become symptomatic to immediately isolate themselves because this will help control transmission,” Mr. Nograles said. “Home isolation is recommended for those with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19.”
The Palace official said local government units “should be able to provide services such as telemedicine and immediate referral so that those requiring additional management may be assessed and treated appropriately.”
In a separate statement, Mr. Nograles said President Rodrigo R. Duterte would not impose a total lockdown amid the infection surge.
He issued the statement after an audio clip warning the public to ready basic supplies because the government might place the country under a total lockdown went viral.
“We reiterate our appeal to the public to dismiss these unfounded and malicious rumors and to refrain from sharing these with our family and friends,” Mr. Nograles said.
“Our country is dealing with a real threat that understandably concerns our people, and spreading these unverified rumors contributes to unnecessary anxiety and needless panic.”
