DOH logs 863 new COVID-19 cases; assures strict border control amid coronavirus surge in Europe

The Department of Health (DOH) detected 863 new people who contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Active cases nationwide totalled to 17,853 as of Friday, Nov. 26. These cases represent 0.6 percent of the country's running tally which stood at 2,830,387.
Of the still sick patients, 51.5 percent have mild symptoms, 21.57 percent were in moderate condition, 14.2 percent have severe symptoms, 6.1 percent were in critical condition, and 6.6 percent have no symptoms.
The death toll soared to 48,017, which was equivalent to 1.70 percent of the case count after 142 more people died.
Meanwhile, 791 more people got better, pushing the recovery tally to 2,764,517 or 97.7 percent of the case total.
PH border control amid COVID-19 surge in Europe
The DOH assured that the government is imposing strict border controls amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in some European countries.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the metrics used for border control were based on the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).
"Meron naman tayong ginagamit na classification system na in-adopt natin from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and recognized by the WHO kung saan we have classified according to the risk level of each country, ito yung green, yellow, and red countries," she said.
"For these different countries or classifications, we have different safeguards or protocols that will help ensure that we maintain control of our borders," she added.
Aside from border controls, quarantine, testing, and mandatory vaccination, Vergeire said that measures are also in place for incoming travelers at the community level.
"We have another layer in our protocol, wherein they have to self monitor and local governments are mandated to monitor also all of these individuals who are coming home to their communities," said Vergeire.
The Philippines is implementing a country risk classification scheme wherein countries tagged as "red" means that they are considered high risk for COVID-19 based on incidence rate and case count. Those under "yellow" are moderate, while nations under "green" classification are low-risk for COVID-19.