Patients and their companions crowd outside Amang Rodriguez Medical Center in Marikina City as they wait to be admitted to the hospital on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 as the Philippines records a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases at the start of the year.
By Walter Bollozos, Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Friday logged 21,819 new COVID-19 infections — the highest single-day tally since September 18 last year — pushing the total to 2,910,664 cases.
The Philippines is seeing a sharp increase in new COVID-19 cases in the past week driven by the more infectious Omicron variant as well as increased mobility and laxness in observing safety protocols over the holidays.
The DOH also recorded 129 new fatalities and 973 additional recoveries.
63% cases from Metro Manila
Of the new infections logged on Friday, 63% or 13,634 were traced to Metro Manila. Calabarzon region saw 4,129 new cases (19%) while Central Luzon logged 2,084 (10%) additional infections.
The DOH bulletin also showed that the positivity rate is at 40%, meaning two out of every five people tested were positive for COVID-19.
Utilization rates of Intensive Care Units, isolation and ward beds nationwide also continue to rise.
The DOH bulletin showed that 32% of ICU beds, 35% isolation beds and 31% of ward beds across the country are currently being used. In Metro Manila, where majority of the new cases are traced, 48% of ICU beds, 47% of isolation beds and 59% of ward beds are in use.
The national government on Thursday night placed five more provinces and nine cities — on top of Metro Manila and four nearby provinces — under Alert Level 3 until January 15.
