1,297 new COVID-19 cases logged Thursday; further drop seen in Metro Manila

PHILIPPINE health authorities reported 1,297 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 2.82 million.

The death toll rose to 46,422 after 305 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 1,956 to 2.75 million, the Department of Health (DoH) said in a bulletin.

The agency said there were 23,158 active cases, 58.5% of which were mild, 4.1% were asymptomatic, 12.2% were severe, 19.96% were moderate, and 5.2% were critical.

It said 34% of intensive care units in the Philippines were occupied, while the rate for Metro Manila was 32%.

Of the 305 reported deaths, only 36 occurred in November, the DoH said.

Citing encoding problems, the agency said 44% of the deaths logged on Nov. 18 occurred in October, while 35% happened in September.

The Health department said 38 duplicates were removed from the tally, 36 of which were tagged as recoveries. It added that 278 recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Four laboratories failed to submit data on Nov 16.

The capital region had an average of 379 new daily cases from Nov. 11 to 17, lower than the 406 average from Nov. 4 to 10, OCTA Research fellow Fredegusto “Guido” P. David tweeted.

He said the average daily cases in Metro Manila is estimated to decrease to 200 by the end of the month as positivity rate is projected to hit 2% this week from 3% during the Nov. 10-16 period. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza