The country's total number of recoveries from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) climbed past 131,000, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Sunday.
In its latest case bulletin, the DOH announced 16,459 more patients who have recovered from COVID-19 as it is implementing “time-based recoveries,” bringing the tally to 131,367.
To note, the time-based recovery scheme is part of the DOH’s Oplan Recovery--an initiative to monitor the status of confirmed COVID-19 deaths and recoveries. The patients are released from isolation facilities after completing their quarantine period and after their symptoms have disappeared. Before they can be tagged as recovered, they should be cleared by a licensed physician.
This method only involves asymptomatic and mild cases. It does not apply to severe and critical cases, nor to immunocompromised patients.
Meanwhile, the DOH also reported that the country’s caseload increased to 189,601, with 2,378 more individuals confirmed to have contracted the disease. Of the overall figure, the number of active cases or currently receiving treatment stands at 55,236.
Of the new cases, 1,022 were from Metro Manila, 132 from Cavite, 128 from Laguna, 115 from Rizal, and 96 from Cebu.
The DOH added that 32 more patients have died, bringing the death toll to 2,998. Among the newly reported deaths, 20 occurred in August, eight in July, three in June, and one in May.
In a related development, the DOH said that it has yet to issue its omnibus guidelines on the use of the different types of test kits for COVID-19.
“ DOH clarifies that The Omnibus Guidelines on COVID-19 testing has not yet been finalized or approved, nor has it been signed and issued for implementation,” it said in a statement.
The agency made the statement in response to the social media post of TruLaboratories Corporation claiming that the DOH “has finally approved the use of Antigen Test Kits and is now included in the Omnibus Guidelines on COVID-Testing.”
“While there are antigen kits approved for commercial use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), DOH does not endorse specific brands or distributors,” the DOH noted.
“DOH calls on the public to be vigilant when it comes to information, and verify everything through the DOH’s official website and social media pages,” it added.