
Only 289 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were recorded by the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, Dec. 16.
The Philippines' cumulative tally of cases rose to 2,837,016 — with 0.4 percent or 10,095 patients still receiving medical treatment.
Of the active cases, 3,870 have mild symptoms, 3,442 have moderate symptoms, 1,845 have severe symptoms, 549 were asymptomatic, and 389 were critical.
The death toll climbed to 50,496 or 1.78 percent of the case total. There were 47 new deaths confirmed on Thursday, the DOH said.
Meanwhile, recoveries climbed to 2,776,425 or 97.9 percent of the case tally, with 380 new survivors.
“Sa pagpasok ng Omicron variant sa bansa, mas paigtingin natin ang pagsunod sa minimum public health standards. Mahalaga rin na magpabakuna na ang mga hindi pa nababakunahan, at magpaturok na ng booster shots ang mga kwalipikado nang tumanggap nito (With the detection of the Omicron variant in the country, we should strictly comply with minimum public health standards. It is also important that unvaccinated individuals should get vaccinated already. Also, those who are already eligible to get a booster shot should receive it),” the DOH said.