Commuters try to catch a ride along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on March 6, 2023 amid a week-long transport strike by a number of jeepney operators and drivers. Free rides were deployed by local government units and other government agencies to aid commuters amid the strike. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA (UPDATE) — The Philippines recorded 983 COVID-19 cases in the past week, the Department of Health said Tuesday.
From March 6 to 12, an average of 140 daily infections were logged in the country, which is 8 percent higher compared to the previous week.
Based on the analysis of the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group, this is the fourth straight week with weekly cases below 1,000 or since the week of March 16 to 22, 2020 when the DOH logged 240 cases based on the COVID-19 Data Drop.
Of the new infections during the week, one case was considered severe or critical, according to the DOH's latest bulletin.
As of Sunday, 351 cases or 9.2 percent of total COVID-19 admissions were in severe and critical condition, the agency said.
The number of severe and critical admissions for the week of March 6 to 12 is 11 percent lower than it was the prior week or 44 admissions fewer than the prior week’s 395 cases, the ABS-CBN IRG said.
At least 265 or 13.4 percent of intensive care unit beds for COVID patients were occupied. The non-ICU bed utilization rate was at 17.1 percent.
According to the ABS-CBN IRG, this is the 12th straight week that the COVID-19 ICU bed utilization rate is below 20 percent.
The number of occupied ICU beds for COVID-19 for the week of March 6 to 12 is 1 percent higher than it was the prior week or 2 beds more than the prior week’s 263 beds, the group added.
During the past week, the DOH also verified 58 more COVID-related fatalities, citing late encoding of death information.
The deaths occurred in the following months:
- 1 in March 2022
- 7 in February 2022
- 5 in January 2022
- 2 in December 2021
- 2 in November 2021
- 9 in October 2021
- 13 in September 2021
- 2 in August 2021
- 4 in July 2021
- 4 in June 2021
- 4 in May 2021
- 2 in April 2021
- 3 in March 2021
The ABS-CBN IRG said the number of deaths for the week of March 6 to 12 is higher by 4 percent or by 2 deaths than the 56 deaths logged the week prior.
As of March 13, the Philippines has 9,128 active COVID-19 cases.
Since the pandemic started, the country has tallied 4,078,041 coronavirus infections, of which some 66,217 resulted in deaths.
To date, some 73.9 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Of the figure, more than 21.6 million people have received their first boosters while 4 million have gotten their second boosters.
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