THE Department of Health (DOH) logged 2,961 new COVID-19 infections today, almost double from yesterday’s 1,623 count, according to the DOH COVID-19 Case Bulletin issued today, December 31, 2021.
This is the first time that the number of daily cases reached the 2,000 level, when the DOH recorded 2,227 last November 21, 2021.
With this, the total number of COVID-19 infections in the country is now at 2,843,979 cases.
Active cases, on the other hand, also rose to 14,233 today, much higher than yesterday’s 11,772 cases. Active cases are patients undergoing treatment in government hospitals and temporary quarantine facilities.
Recoveries from COVID-19 today, meanwhile, went up to 481 cases from yesterday’s 256 count. Overall, COVID-19 recoveries in the country have reached a total of 2,778,242 cases.
As for COVID-19 fatalities, it went slightly down to 132 from yesterday’s 133 to bring the total COVID-19 deaths to 51,504.
Positivity rate today, meanwhile, rose to 10.3 percent from yesterday’s 6.6 percent while 30,526 people were tested.
However, 63.2 percent of the cases were mild and asymptomatic, the DOH bulletin noted.
A total of 10 duplicates were removed from the total case count, with seven recoveries while one is a death.
Also, about 232 cases were found to have tested negative and have been removed from the total case count, with 230 tagged as recoveries.
However, 117 cases tagged earlier as recoveries were reclassified as deaths upon final validation.
There were two laboratories that did not operate on December 29, 2021. There were also six laboratories that failed to submit data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System (CDRS). Based on data in the last 14 days, the eight non-reporting laboratories contribute, on average, 0.4 percent of samples tested and 0.3 percent of positive individuals.
The agency continues to remind the public not to become complacent and continue to be vigilant against the threat of COVID-19 and make it a habit to follow the minimum public health standards and to always wear face masks, and also face shields whenever necessary, maintain physical distancing and washing of hands. The DOH also reiterates that the safety of the country is everyone’s responsibility, and that by helping each other, the country will overcome this COVID-19 pandemic.