The number of active coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines further increased after 26,458 new infections were logged on Saturday, Jan. 8—the country’s biggest number of cases in a single-day since the pandemic started.
Saturday’s cases broke the country’s previous record of highest daily increase—which was on Sept. 11, 2021 with 26,303 infections at that time.
The new figure brought the number of patients who are still battling with COVID-19 to 102,017, as shown in the latest case update of the Department of Health (DOH).
Of the active cases, 94,007 patients were suffering mild symptoms, 2,842 were in moderate condition, 1,462 were severe, 307 were critical, and 3,399 were asymptomatic.
The DOH noted that 1,656 more survivors and 265 new deaths were recorded on Saturday. The figures pushed the recovery count to 2,782,723 and the death toll to 52,135.
Meanwhile, the regions with the most number of cases in the last 14 days were still the same: the National Capital Region (NCR), Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), and Central Luzon.
NCR under Alert Level 4?
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III raised the possibility that Metro Manila might be placed under Alert Level 4 due to the rising number of infections.
At present, Duque said that the healthcare utilization rate in NCR remained under the “low-risk” category.
“Pero madali na lang yan pumalo sa moderate risk, which means 50 to 70 percent utilization rate. Eh, nasa 47 to 48 percent na tayo sa ngayon— yun sa ICU natin sa NCR (But it can easily escalate to moderate risk, which means 50 to 70 percent utilization rate. Right now, we are at 47 to 48 percent — that's in our ICU in NCR),” he noted in an interview over radio DZBB on Saturday.
Duque also noted that some healthcare workers are already contracting COVID-19.
“Of course yung healthcare workers natin, marami ang nagkakasakit.....Kahit na sapat ang kama, pero kulang ang manggagamot o mag-aalaga, eh useless din yung kama (Of course, some of our healthcare workers are getting sick... Even if the number of beds is enough, but there is a lack of medical workers, then the beds will also be useless),” he said.
“Yun ang kinakatakutan natin. Pinaghahandaan natin yan. Kaya hindi malayo ang NCR ipasya na mag-Alert Level 4 (That is what we are worried about. We are preparing for that. It is possible that NCR will be under Alert Level 4),” he added.