The Philippines logged a record-high 18,332 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number of infections to 1,857,646.
There were 151 new fatalities on Monday, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 31,961.
The Department of Health (DOH) said 13,794 patients recently recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,695,335.
There were 130,350 active cases, which is the highest since April 1, when there were 138,948 active cases.
Of the active cases, 94.8 percent were mild, 2.5 percent were asymptomatic, 0.6 percent were critical, 1.2 percent were severe, and 0.92 percent were moderate.
The country’s positivity rate was at 24.9 percent with 64,957 COVID-19 tests conducted, still far off the international benchmark of below 5 percent.
Nationwide, 73 percent of the ICU beds, 61 percent of the isolation beds, 67 percent of the ward beds, and 54 percent of the ventilators, were in use.
In Metro Manila, 72 percent of the ICU beds, 60 percent of the isolation beds, 71 percent of the ward beds, and 58 percent of the ventilators, were in use.
As of Aug. 22, the Philippines has fully vaccinated more than 13 million people or about 18.5 percent of the target 70.85 million adult individuals.
About 17.26 million others have received their first dose.
Independent researchers tracking the pandemic said new cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) could peak at about 60,000 a day by the middle of September.
The OCTA Research Group said even with a slow decline, Metro Manila would not exceed 70,000 new cases in a day.
Earlier, the independent monitoring group said the reproduction number in the NCR, which was placed under an enhanced community quarantine from Aug. 6 to 20, decreased to 1.67 from 1.90.
OCTA said the current rate of decrease in reproduction number, which refers to the number of people that each COVID-19 case can infect, was slower this August compared to the previous surge in April possibly due to the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus.
The DOH on Monday also said there were already signs of community transmission of the highly contagious Delta variant in Metro Manila and Calabarzon.
Citing the World Health Organization, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing that community transmission means there is a clustering of cases and there are no longer links among infected individuals.
OCTA said that the increased mobility reported by the DOH during the recent ECQ might have contributed to the slower rate of decrease in reproduction number.
“We will be on a downward trend around the first week of September. This may be delayed and we could see the downward trend around the second week of September. But if we follow these projections we are going to be seeing below 3,000 cases before the end of September,” OCTA’s Guido David said.
The NCR is currently under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), where indoor and al fresco dining are prohibited and businesses are allowed to function but only at a limited capacity.
The MECQ will be in effect until Aug. 31 unless the government extends it.
Health officials on Monday said they detected 466 new Delta variant cases.
Of the total, 442 were local cases and 14 were returning overseas Filipinos. Ten cases had yet to be verified.
Of the 442 local cases, 201 cases had indicated addresses in the National Capital Region, while 69 cases had indicated addresses in Central Luzon, seven in Cagayan Valley, 49 cases in Calabarzon, 14 cases in Mimaropa, four cases in Bicol Region, 52 cases in Western Visayas, 19 cases in Central Visayas, six cases in Northern Mindanao, 11 cases in Davao Region, seven cases in Soccsksargen, and three cases in the Ilocos Region.
Based on the case line list, one is still active, eight cases have died, while 457 cases have been tagged as recovered. All other details were being validated by the regional and local health offices.
The total known Delta variant cases are now 1,273.
While the DOH said there were signs of community spread, the government still needs further evidence to show this is so.
But the DOH, the national government, and local government units are already responding as if there were community transmission.