Philippines sees 1,264 new COVID-19 cases in first week of October

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health said Tuesday that there were 1,264 additional COVID-19 cases recorded in the past week. 

In a bulletin, the DOH said an average of 181 cases were recorded daily from October 2 to 8. The agency noted that this average was 3% higher compared to the cases reported from September 25 to October 1. 

Among the additional cases, 12 had severe and critical illnesses. 

There were 272 patients in severe and critical conditions, constituting 9% of the total COVID-19 admissions in the country.

The Philippines had 3,062 active COVID-19 cases as of Monday. More than 4 million Filipinos have recovered from COVID-19 since the pandemic started in 2020.

According to data from the health department, only 12.2% of the 1,524 beds in intensive care units were utilized, and 18.4% of the 12,496 non-ICU beds were occupied. 

The DOH also confirmed six deaths in the past week, one of which occurred in the last two weeks. The death toll from COVID-19 in the Philippines reached 66,702. 

Over 78 million Filipinos have received their coronavirus vaccines. However, only 23 million have gotten booster shots. — Gaea Katreena Cabico