Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) — The country on Sunday logged 3,083 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the nationwide tally to 1,179,812.
The relatively low number of new cases was due to the “simultaneous updates” being made in the COVID Kaya, a digital platform for COVID-19 information management, said the Department of Health.
“Some case data from the CDRS (COVID Document Repository System) were not included in the COVID Kaya and were not included in this case bulletin. This issue is currently being investigated and addressed by the COVID Kaya technical team,” the DOH explained.
The last time the daily cases numbered at around 3,000 was in March 11, when the country reported 3,749 new infections.
The DOH added that all laboratories were operational on May 21, while three laboratories were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System.
“Based on data in the last 14 days, the 3 non-reporting labs contribute, on average, 4.1% of samples tested and 2.6% of positive individuals,” said the DOH.
Of the nationwide tally, there are 50,635 active cases, or the number of sick people. The DOH said 93.1% are experiencing mild symptoms, 2.1% are asymptomatic, 1.5% are critical, 2.0% are in severe condition, and 1.35% are experiencing moderate symptoms.
Meanwhile, the death toll climbed to 19,951 with 38 new fatalities recorded. This is lower than the daily death counts recorded in the past few days, as the country logged more than 100 deaths in last five days.
The DOH also said 25 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.
The number of COVID-19 survivors also climbed to 1,109,226 after 6,756 more patients recovered.
The DOH added that 10 duplicates were removed from the nationwide tally, where eight are recoveries. In addition, 1,478 cases were deactivated after being tagged by their Regional or City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit as being duplicates.
The daily positivity rate, or rate of people who tested positive, stood at 13% out of 42,855 tests conducted as of May 21.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs has received no new reports on COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad.
The number of overseas Filipinos who caught the coronavirus remains at 18,659 and the death toll is still at 1,168.
However, the DFA’s latest bulletin showed that the number of recoveries is now at 11,399, one less compared to the 11,400 recorded on Saturday.
The update also showed that the number of active cases, or those who are still undergoing treatment, is at 6,092. Data on Saturday recorded 6,091 active cases among Filipinos abroad.
