The bulletin also showed a positivity rate of 14.1% based on data as of noon of March 17. Positivity rate refers to the percentage of positive individuals out of all the patients tested. The DOH said out of 39,865 tested, 5,635 turned out positive.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 18) — The country’s total number of COVID-19 cases moved close to 641,000 on Thursday, after 5,290 more people got infected, the Department of Health’s bulletin stated.
The total is now 640,984 with 10.4% or 66,567 active or currently ill patients. It is the highest active case count after Sept. 19 when there were over 68,000 sick patients. At least 93.3% of active cases have mild symptoms, 3.7% have no symptoms, 1.2% are in critical condition, 1.2% are severe cases and 0.64% are in moderate condition.
The death toll also rose to 12,887 or 2.01% of the case total after 21 more people succumbed to the disease. Meanwhile, 439 patients got better, raising the recovery count to 561,530, equivalent to 87.6% of the COVID-19 tally.
The DOH said it reclassified six survivors into fatalities after validation and removed four duplicates, including two recoveries.
The updated positivity rate for March 16 was at 13.8%, less than a point lower than the 14.1% initially posted on the March 17 case bulletin.
The DOH will still update today’s figures once it receives the remaining data from eight testing laboratories which have yet to submit their reports. A higher percentage suggests higher transmission and that there are likely more people with coronavirus in the community who have not been tested yet, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Among Filipinos abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed 13 new cases and four new recoveries. The total rose to 15,941 with 9,649 survivors and 1,044 deaths in 88 countries. There are also 5,248 people undergoing treatment.
Deal with the surge now
OCTA Research Fellow Ranjit Rye said the surge in COVID-19 cases must be dealt with immediately while it still manageable.
“We have to deal with the surge now, we have to deal with it effectively, we have to deal with it quickly. If we need to decide on more stricter quarantine status, we should do so now, while the situation is still manageable,” he told CNN Philippines’ The Final Word.
He added that three to seven million residents in Metro Manila and Calabarzon—the top regions with the highest number of active and new cases—must be vaccinated against COVID-19 if supplies are enough.
But Rye noted that despite implementing stricter quarantine measures, a number of establishments and transportation must still be available.
“We want this ‘harder’ GCQ to be kind to our workers. That’s why transportation is an important issue for us, but mobility has to be restricted. Just following the public safety protocols may not be enough,” he said.
