MANILA — A group of private hospitals is observing severe and critical COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated adults with comorbidities.

Dr. Rene Jose De Grano, president of Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc., said most patients hospitalized for severe or critical COVID-19 were elderly.

"Napansin lang namin na siguro 'yung mga naa-admit na immunocompromised at saka with pre-existing diseases na hindi fully vaccinated, 'yun po ang nagpo-progress to severe and critical," he said in a public briefing on Thursday.

(We noticed that admitted patients who are immunocompromised and had pre-existing diseases were not fully vaccinated, they are the ones who progress to severe and critical.)

• Severe, critical COVID cases increasing; more than half not fully vaccinated - DOH

The Department of Health said Tuesday coronavirus-related hospitalizations for serious and critical illness were rising in the past weeks, but remained within the threshold.

As of Aug. 21, the country has 811 severe and critical COVID-19 cases, which translates to 9.7 percent of the total admissions.

This is the highest percentage of severe and critical COVID-19 patients recorded in 8 weeks, or since the week of June 20-26, which had a proportion of 10.7 percent severe and critical COVID-19 cases.

• DOH seeing rise in COVID-19 deaths; more than half unvaccinated

According to the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group, this is the fourth straight week that the severe and critical cases have accounted for more than 9 percent of the total COVID-19 admissions.

Majority of those admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 remain asymptomatic and mild cases, according to DOH.

"Yun naman pong mga na-admit na mas madami are the mild cases na incidental COVID lang. 'Yun pong mga ganun, in a few days, nadi-discharge naman po agad," De Grano said.

(Majority of those admitted are mild cases, just incidental COVID. Those are discharged in a few days.)

Courtesy of PTV

The Philippines reported 3,580 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, raising the country's total confirmed coronavirus infections to 3,864,034.

Fifty new COVID-19-related fatalities were also reported, the highest number of new deaths since May 1, noted ABS-CBN Data Analytics Team head Edson Guido.

This raised the total number of people in the country who succumbed to the respiratory disease to 61,476.

Active cases stood at 30,240, the lowest since July 28, according to Guido.

• Philippines reports 3,580 new COVID-19 cases, 50 deaths