The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines jumped to 74,390 on Thursday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 2,200 more infections, 1,314 of which were “fresh” or newly-validated and 886 that were reported late.
This marks the ninth consecutive day that over 1,300 new infections were reported and the third time in the past week where new cases breached 2,000.
READ: PH cases top 70k, gov’t eyes 10M Pinoys for test
The five provinces with the highest number of new cases were Metro Manila with 1,546, Cebu with 246, Laguna with 83, Rizal with 61 and Cavite with 48.
The death toll climbed to 1,871 with 28 new fatalities.
Total recoveries rose to 24,383 after 760 more patients recovered from the respiratory disease.
There are 48,136 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 90.1 percent of which are mild, 9 percent of which are asymptomatic, 0.5 percent of which are severe, and 0.4 percent of which are in critical condition.
The DOH said figures reported on Thursday were based on data submitted by 76 out of the 90 operational laboratories.
The department also removed 79 duplicate cases from the total tally of infections.
The Philippines still has the highest number of active cases across Southeast Asia and the second-highest number of infections in the region between Indonesia with 91,751 cases and Singapore with 48,744.
As the number of infections continued to rise, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said reverting to a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) or an ECQ would be “painful…. and too risky to the country’s economy.”
In a media conference over Zoom, Gatchalian said more would lose their jobs and go hungry if stricter quarantine conditions were reimposed.
“I would rather address the health system by putting more temporary hospitals to increase the capacity. That’s what I saw in other countries that is still lacking in our country. Let us put up more temporary hospitals,” Gatchalian said.
He said other countries like Spain and China had built massive temporary hospitals.
Instead of going back to MECG, he said the government should expand its health system and hospital capacities to treat more mild cases to ensure they would not become severe and critical and overwhelm hospitals.
In this way, Gatchalian said the government can gradually open the economy while treating mild, severe and critical cases.
Gatchalian said looking at two numbers—active cases and number of deaths—was an indication of how effective the health system is.
He said the country’s death rate was below 3 percent, which was below the global death rate.
He added that the government could not afford to give more aid to the unemployed during a prolonged quarantine period.
The Manila International Airport Authority on Thursday reported it has recorded 57 cases of workers tested positive for COVID-19.
Out of this figure, 19 have already recovered and some have already reported back to work, said MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal, who added that there was no need for a lockdown at the airport.
The airport authority is conducting free rapid testing for its employees. On its first testing day, a total of 294 underwent examination. Out of this number, 283 tested negative while 11 tested positive.
A confirmatory RT-PCR (swab) test was immediately done on the 11 who tested positive in the rapid test.
In compliance with the government’s health protocol, employees were instructed to report to their respective Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams and go on home quarantine while waiting for the results of their PCR tests.
Another round of testing will be done this Saturday, and twice a week for the other employees within the month of August.
Monreal said airport management aims to cover the activities to its service providers, which include janitorial services and contracted security companies. He added on various dates, MIAA intends to cover a total of 6,462 organic and non-organic employees combined.
MIAA officials urged airport personnel to avail of the free testing, especially those whose nature of work exposes them to greater risk of catching the virus.
The testing activity is being held at the check-in area of NAIA Terminal 4, the old domestic terminal, which remains closed.
The three other terminals – NAIA 1, 2 and 3 – are open for flight operations.
In other developments:
• Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, said he has tested positive COVID-19 and is now under quarantine. “Although I do not feel anything, I follow the protocol that is set. I am now in a designated area for quarantine observing strict protocol as required. My condition is being monitored and (I am given) healthy food and vitamins, and do physical exercise,” the Manila auxiliary bishop said. He also reported that his staff has been tested negative and the people that had contact with him last week have been informed so that they may follow necessary safety measures.
• The Taguig City government on Thursday reported that 506 COVID-19 patients have recovered in two areas in the city placed under localized lockdown. Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano said even if none of these cases resulted in death, the localized quarantine will still be in effect in Lower Bicutan and at a construction site in Bonifacio Global City until the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit declares these areas as cleared.