DOH records 16K new COVID-19 cases; 2nd highest daily tally since start of pandemic

A total of 16,694 additional cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was recorded on Saturday, Aug. 21, pushing the nationwide total count to 1,824,051 cases, the Department of Health (DOH) case bulletin showed.
The nationwide total count is composed of 6.8 percent (123,935) active cases, 91.5 percent (1,668,520) recoveries, and 1.73 percent (31,596) deaths.
Of the additional cases, 15,805 have already recovered, while 398 have died.
According to the DOH's latest report, all laboratories were operational on Aug. 19, 2021, while there were four laboratories that failed to submit data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System.
Based on the data over the past 14 days, the contribution of the four laboratories was approximately 2.7 percent of all samples tested and 4.2 percent of all positive individuals.
DOH's latest tally is the second-highest single-day record since the pandemic began.
The Philippines hit its biggest single-day increase of COVID infections on Aug. 20 after DOH reported 17,231 cases.
DOH warned that the number of COVID-19 cases may increase in the coming days.
"Adherence to minimum public health standards, good implementation of PDITR strategies, and vaccination remain the most effective defense against COVID-19," the DOH said.
"It is also important that we isolate and interact with BHERTs if we have symptoms of COVID-19. Early consultation and testing can help cut down on infection in homes, communities, and workplaces," it added.