
The country recorded more than 5,000 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday, July 16.
The DOH said 5,676 more cases were detected nationwide. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is now at 1,496,328 with 48,480 or 3.2 percent are still active or currently ill patients.
Of the active cases, 91.8 percent have mild symptoms, 2.1 percent have no symptoms, 1.6 percent are in critical state, 2.6 percent are in severe condition, and 1.85 percent have moderate symptoms.
The death toll climbed to 26,476, representing 1.77 percent of the total case count, after 162 more patients died.
Meanwhile, 2,670 new survivors were logged. This brought the recovery tally to 1,421,372, accounting for 95 percent of the total COVID-19 cases in the country.
The DOH also announced earlier the detection of 16 new cases of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. Of the figure, 11 were classified as local cases.
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So far, the Delta variant has yet to affect the case trend in the country, said DOH Epidemiology Bureau Dr. Alethea De Guzman.
“Hindi pa tayo nakakakita nung biglaang pagtaas ng kaso. Kung natatandaan natin, nung una nating na-detect yung mga Alpha and Beta variants sa NCR (National Capital Region), napaka significant, steep nung increase. Sa ngayon, may bahagyang pagtaas sa iilang lugar pero hindi pa ganoon kataas (We have not seen a sudden increase in cases yet. If we remember, when we first detected the Alpha and Beta variants in NCR, the increase was very significant, steep. So far, there has been a slight increase in cases in some areas but it is not that high),” she said.
With the detection of local cases of Delta variant, the DOH urged concerned agencies and local government units to strengthen the implementation of the prevent, detect, isolate, treat, and reintegrate (PDITR) strategy. The government will also have to ensure that “healthcare capacity is ready for a possible surge.”
“The DOH also reminded the public that the spread of COVID-19 globally, while being controlled by vaccination, is still being driven by the emergence of variants of concern, increased social mobility, and inappropriate use of public health measures,” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
“Even while we are vaccinating the Filipino people, minimum public health measures such as physical distancing and masking should not be neglected,” she added.