The Philippines on Friday, Jan. 28, recorded 18,638 additional coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.

Friday's cases pushed the country's cumulative case count to 3,511,491. Of the figure, 6.6 percent or 231,658 remain active or patients who are still sick. The DOH said that most of these cases have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.

Majority of the new cases were found in Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and Western Visayas.

The country’s death toll rose to 53,801 while the recovery count increased to 3,226,032. This after the DOH recorded 68 new fatalities and 13,106 recoveries on Friday.

The National Capital Region’s (NCR) COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions were “on a decline but daily reported cases still higher than pre-Omicron numbers,” the DOH said.

“NCR is now at moderate risk case classification from being at critical risk on Jan. 4 to 21,” the DOH said.

“In addition, the average number of admissions decreased from 6,204 on Jan. 9 to 15 to 4,378 on Jan. 21 to 27,” it added.

“However, an average of 3,662 cases were reported daily this week—still higher than the 1,405 average daily cases on the week prior to the Omicron wave,” it furthered.

Meanwhile, the DOH reiterated the importance of airflow as a protective measure against COVID-19.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reminded the public that the virus that causes COVID-19 "can easily spread through the air. “

“Kinakailangan nating sumunod sa minimum public health standards gaya ng pagsusuot ng face masks at physical distancing (We need to adhere to minimum public health standards such as wearing face masks and physical distancing),” she said.

She said that the public should ensure proper ventilation in homes, workplaces, and other establishments "to allow the circulation of clean air indoors, which helps further prevent the spread of the virus."

"Proper ventilation can be achieved by always keeping windows or doors open for fresh air to flow or putting an electric fan in front of a window for good air circulation. If the weather’s too hot to keep windows open, one can open it for a few minutes every hour," she said.

Vergeire also reminded the public that "in case they’re meeting with friends, colleagues, or relatives, they should make sure the meeting is in a well-ventilated space. It is best to practice social distancing and the wearing of face masks at all times. If possible, limit interaction to an hour to limit transmissions and infections."