PH logs 242 new COVID-19 deaths, 3rd highest since pandemic began

Total cases up by 6,414 to 819,164

MANILA (UPDATE) — The Philippines logged 242 additional deaths due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 14,059, the Department of Health said.

The number of additional fatalities is the 3rd highest reported in a single day in the country. This included 133 cases that were originally tagged as recoveries, but turned out to be deaths after final validation.

“The 624 fatalities reported by Department of Health over the last two days is the highest two-day total since the start of the pandemic,” the ABS-CBN Data Analytics Team noted.

The total deaths account for 1.72 percent of the country's cumulative total coronavirus infections.

• Bilang ng mga bangkay na pinoproseso sa crematorium ng Pasay City dumoble

The DOH, meanwhile, logged 6,414 newly recorded infections, which is the lowest for the week, pushing the country's total number of cases to 819,164.

The day's number of additional cases does not include data from 5 laboratories that were unable to submit their test results on time.

“The relatively lower number of cases today is due to the low number of samples received by laboratories last April 5, 2021,” the DOH said.

At a media briefing Wednesday morning, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said some laboratories did not operate during the Holy Week, which resulted in lower COVID-19 numbers this week.

The number of recovered patients increased by 163 to 646,404.

It is the 2nd straight day that the additional deaths reported were higher than new recoveries, the ABS-CBN Data Analytics Team said.

The country's active cases stood at 158,701, or 19.4 percent of the cumulative total. The figure is the second highest recorded in a day, according to the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group.

Of those currently battling the disease, 97.5% have mild symptoms, 1.2% are asymptomatic, 0.3% have moderate symptoms, 0.5% have severe symptoms, and 0.5% are in critical condition.

The country has been seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases due to variants and non-compliance with health protocols, especially in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, which are now under the strictest quarantine classification.

The OCTA Research Group earlier said it estimates that the total number of cases will reach 1 million by the end of the month.

There are more than 54.3 million people currently infected with COVID-19 worldwide. Since the start of the pandemic, 132.5 million people have contracted the disease, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus dashboard. Of those, almost 2.9 million have died and almost 75.3 million have recovered.

The Philippines confirmed its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 30 last year in a Chinese woman who arrived from Wuhan City, China where the disease is believed to have first emerged in late 2019.

RELATED VIDEO: