The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, Jan. 3, reported 4,084 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

This brought the total number of cases in the country to 2,855,819.

The case bulletin of the DOH also showed 497 new recoveries and 16 new deaths.

Total recoveries rose to 2,779,241 while total deaths climbed to 51,586.

The DOH said of the 4,084 reported cases, 4,057 (99 percent) occurred within the recent 14 days (Dec. 21 to Jan.3, 2022).

The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were NCR (2,831 or 70 percent), Region 4-A (571 or 14 percent) and Region 3 (273 or 7percent).

Of the 16 deaths, the Health department said, 11 occurred in December 2021 (69 percent), three in October 2021 (19 percent), one in September 2021 (6 percent), and one in August 2021 (6 percent) due to late encoding of death information to COVIDKaya.

It added that the issue is currently being coordinated with the Epidemiology and Surveillance Units to ensure information is up to date.

The DOH also said that 18 duplicates were removed from the total case count as 15 of these were recoveries.

"In addition, 178 cases were found to have tested negative and have been removed from the total case count. Of these, 177 are recoveries," it said.

"Moreover, seven cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation," added the DOH.

The Health department said there were two laboratories which were not operational on Jan.1, 2022.

It added that there were 21 laboratories were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System (CDRS).

"Based on data in the last 14 days, the 23 labs contribute, on average, 5.1 percent of samples tested and 5.2 percent of positive individuals," the DOH said.

Meanwhile, the DOH said as of Dec. 31 among samples with lineages 42.48 percent were Delta while 0.07 percent were Omicron.

"During the first detection of the Omicron variant it was 4.17 percent or 2 out of 48 samples. In most recent...10 out of 48 samples or 28.83 percent," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online forum.

She said there are also 11 imported cases (9 returning overseas Filipino, 2 foreign nationals) and 3 local cases detections of the Omicron variant.

Of the 3 local cases, Vergeire said, 2 from Bicol area and one from NCR.

"All were either asymptomatic or had mild disease. Only two cases remain active. All have finished their minimum 10 day isolation period," she said.

With the sudden increase in the number of cases, the DOH is assuming that the Omicron variant is now present in the community.

"Based on our observation, our assumption is its now in the community because we have seen the sudden increase in the number of cases," said Vergeire.

"In other countries, according to our experts, the increase in cases double every 2 days...We see that trend here in the Philippines," she added.

But Vergeire stressed an official confirmation through genome sequencing remains necessary.