MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday confirmed that there is an uptick in COVID cases in the Philippines.

"Sa pangkalahatan, mabagal na tumataas," DOH spokesperson Usec. Eric Tayag said, noting however that hospitals and their intensive care units (ICU) have not experienced overcrowding.

As of December 3, some 253 severe and critical COVID patients were admitted to hospitals, and around 158 or 11.6 percent of 1,361 coronavirus ICU beds were occupied, according to the DOH.

"May ilang rehiyon na nakitaan ng kaunting pagtaas. Subalit noong tiningnan namin mga ospital sa nasabing lugar, kaya pa naman at hindi pa naman nagkakaroon ng overcrowding, lalong-lalo na sa mga ICU," he also said.

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The DOH on Monday logged 1,340 new coronavirus cases from November 28 to December 4, pushing the country's active cases to 3,311.

The average daily COVID infections this week increased to 191 cases — 10 percent higher compared to the daily average from November 21 to 27, it added.

The DOH is checking if the increase could be attributed to the new COVID variant of interest reported by the World Health Organization, Tayag said.

He reiterated that health standards such as masking and getting vaccinated must be observed to prevent getting infected with respiratory viruses, including influenza.

Some 190,000 influenza-like cases, including COVID-19, have been reported so far in the country this year, Tayag previously said.

Those who have access to COVID self-testing kits are encouraged to report their findings to health authorities to prevent underreporting, the official said.

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