Philippines logs 1,019 new COVID-19 cases, total rises to 3,654,284

MANILA – The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,019 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, the lowest since Dec. 29, 2021, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,654,284.

The DOH said 13 more people died from COVID-19 complications, pushing the country’s death toll to 55,776, with five testing laboratories failing to submit data. Of the 13 reported deaths, the DOH noted that 11 died this year, two died last year.

The number of patients infected with the highly contagious disease dipped to 56,668 from Monday’s 58,657. The country’s positivity rate dropped to 6.4 percent from 7.5 percent the previous day.

The Philippines continues to see a steady decline in COVID-19 cases, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual press conference.

She added that Metro Manila and its adjacent areas “initially showed a sharp decline in cases, and that, except for two regions, the number of new cases in all areas across the country ‘show plateauing’.”

Read more: Philippines logs 1,427 new COVID-19 cases

Vergeire attributed the steady decline of infections to the government’s COVID-19 vaccination. Over 62.5 million people have been fully vaccinated.

The Philippines has seen four COVID-19 waves since the pandemic began in January 2020. The country reported the highest single-day tally on Jan. 15 this year, with 39,004 new cases.