Philippines logs 2,671 new COVID-19 cases, total rises to 3,644,597

MANILA – The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,671 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,644,597.

The DOH said 77 more people died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the country’s death toll to 55,223, with six testing laboratories failing to submit data.

The number of patients ill with the highly contagious disease dipped to 68,829 from Tuesday’s 72,305. The country’s positivity rate also dropped to 9.6 percent from 10.4 percent the previous day.

The Philippines has no plans to scrap the wearing of face masks outdoors even if the COVID-19 infections decline, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said Wednesday.

The country is crafting new guidelines should the government decide next month to lower the COVID-19 alert level to 1, the lowest on a scale of 5.

Read more: Philippines logs 2,010 new COVID-19 cases

“This will signal our move towards some semblance of normalcy after this very difficult two-year where we have dealt with the pandemic,” Dizon told President Rodrigo Duterte during a meeting late on Monday night.

He added the “new normal roadmap” signals the return to the robust and healthy growth of the economy that will create jobs, bring back investments, and normalize the operation of many industries and the tourism sector.

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, 2022, at 39,004 new cases.

The Philippines, which has around 110 million population, has tested over 26 million people since the virus emerged.