1 in 4 people tested found positive for COVID-19

MANILA (UPDATE) — The Philippines on Saturday logged 14,249 more COVID-19 infections, the second highest single-day tally since the start of the pandemic, with deaths surpassing 30,000, health department data showed amid a tight watch for the spread of the Delta variant.

Only the count on April 2, when the Philippines registered 15,310 new infections, is higher.

• READ: HIGHEST EVER: Philippines reports 15,310 COVID-19 cases, 3.7K 'from backlogs'

Active cases in the country also reached 98,847, or 5.7 percent of the 1,727,231 cumulative total.

The number of those still battling the disease is the highest in nearly 4 months, or since April 23, ABS-CBN Data Analytics head Edson Guido said.

The positivity rate is at 24.9 percent, based on the test results of 52,679 individuals on Thursday, meaning 1 out of 4 people tested for the virus came out positive.

The positivity rate is also the 2nd highest "since testing data became available," according to Guido.

Guido also pointed out that the country for the past week recorded an average of over 11,000 daily cases.

The new figure "eclipsed the previous peak of 10,841 cases (7-day average) recorded on April 15," he added.

DEATHS BREACH 30,000

There were 233 more people who died due to COVID-19, raising the country's death toll to 30,070. The day's deaths included 142 recoveries that were reclassified as fatalities, the DOH noted.

This is the second straight day that new deaths counted more than 200, data showed.

• READ: DOH places 54 areas under highest COVID-19 alert as new infections stretch hospitals
• READ:Philippine medical workers under strain as COVID-19 cases jump

Meanwhile, recoveries stood at 1,598,314 after 11,714 new recuperations were listed.

A total of 320 duplicates, of which 313 are recoveries and 1 is a fatality, have been removed from the cumulative total, the DOH said.

Fourteen cases first tagged as recoveries turned out to be active.

Four laboratories failed to submit data on time.

Earlier in the day, the Department of Health said 54 areas in the country are currently placed under the Alert Level 4, the highest COVID-19 alert, as more hospitals felt the strain of continued virus admissions.

The DOH said it is expanding the capacity of hospitals by converting covered courts, function halls, and conference rooms into wards.

Based on the agency's latest bulletin, the intensive care unit (ICU) utilization rate in Metro Manila is at 71 percent.

Nationwide, the ICU occupation rate is at 70 percent.

The ABS-CBN Data Analytics team said the ICU rates both in the National Capital Region and the Philippines are at high risk.

Metro Manila, an urban sprawl of 16 cities that is home to 13 million people, remains under a strict lockdown to contain the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, while the government tries to speed up its vaccination drive. — With a report from Reuters

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