MANILA (UPDATE) - The Philippines on Thursday announced 8,702 new COVID-19 cases, the third straight day the tally remained below 10,000, data from the health department showed.

The positivity rate was at 25.5 percent, based on test results of samples from 42,446 individuals on Feb. 1, Tuesday, according to the latest Department of Health bulletin.

Of the newly reported cases, 8,463 or 97 percent occurred within the recent 14 days. Western Visayas (1,039 cases), Central Visayas (799 cases) and Davao region (785 cases) were the top regions with cases in the recent two weeks.

The Philippines has so far tallied a total of 3,585,461 cases, of which 153,335 or 4.3 percent remain active.

The active cases are broken down as follows: 324 critical, 1,528 severe, 3,067 moderate, 143,493 mild, and 4,923 asymptomatic.

The day's number of active infections is the lowest in more than three weeks, or since Jan. 9 when the DOH announced 128,114, the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group said.

COVID-related deaths increased by 71 to 54,168. This is the highest daily tally since Jan. 31 when 112 additional deaths were reported, the research group added.

Of the newly reported deaths, 66 occurred last month, two in October of last year, and one each in September, June, and April.

There were 15,290 more recoveries, raising the total number of recuperations to 3,377,958. This is the lowest figure since Jan. 28, when 13,106 recoveries were announced, according to the ABS-CBN IRG.

The DOH said 539 duplicates, including 207 recoveries, were removed from the total case count, while 29 cases previously tagged as recuperations were reclassified as deaths after final validation.

Five laboratories, which contribute on average 5.7 percent of samples tested and 4.9 percent of positive cases, were unable to submit their data, the DOH said.

The intensive care unit (ICU) bed utilization rate in Metro Manila and nationwide was at 37 percent and 44 percent, respectively.

Isolation and ward beds in Metro Manila are 32 percent and 36 percent used up, respectively; nationwide, the rate is 43 percent for both.

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The Philippines is now under moderate risk case classification from high risk in previous weeks, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said. Virus infections in Luzon and Visayas are declining while some areas in Mindanao have a high bed occupancy, she noted.

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