The Philippines logged an all-time high of 17,231 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, bringing the total number of infections to 1,807,800 a day before Metro Manila and Laguna shift to the less stringent Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine today (Saturday).
The previous high was 15,310 new cases on April 2.
Health officials said 317 new fatalities on Friday brought the COVID-19 death toll to 31,198. It was the second highest number of deaths in a day, after the 401 deaths recorded on April 9.
The Department of Health (DOH) said 5,595 new recoveries brought total recoveries to 1,653,351.
There were 123,251 active cases, of which 94.1 percent are mild, 3.2 percent are asymptomatic, 0.7 percent are critical, 1.2 percent are severe, and 0.86 percent are moderate.
Nationwide, 73 percent of the ICU beds, 61 percent of the isolation beds, 66 percent of the ward beds, and 52 percent of the ventilators, are in use.
In Metro Manila, 74 percent of the ICU beds, 61 percent of the isolation beds, 70 percent of the ward beds, and 57 percent of the ventilators, are in use.
The DOH said their modeling tool projected that Metro Manila could hit 83,921 active cases by the end of August, even if vaccination is ramped up and people adhere more closely to health protocols under a modified enhanced community quarantine.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said if the ECQ had been extended for two more weeks and the current levels of vaccination and enforcement of protocols were maintained, active cases in Metro Manila would be at 66,403 by Aug. 31.
Metro Manila recorded a total of 32,039 active cases as of Aug. 19, the DOH said.
In Pasay City, two newborn babies tested positive for COVID-19.
Mayor Imelda Rubiano said the city provided immediate assistance to the families of the infants who were admitted for treatment at Pasay City General Hospital (PCGH).
Citing a report submitted to her by PCGH Director Dr. John Victor de Gracia, Rubiano said five babies were admitted to PCGH after their mothers were infected with the deadly virus.
Of the five infants, two tested positive for COVID-19.
“Upon the advice of our neonatologists the three negative babies were allowed to stay with their mothers in the COVID-19 wards,” De Gracia said in his report to the Office of the Mayor.
One of the babies is currently in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) while the other is being treated in a ward together with the mother.
De Gracia said all the new-born babies except for the one at NICU are doing fine and may be transferred to a quarantine facility or be discharged outright soon together with their mothers.
Rubiano reiterated her call to all her constituents to be extra-vigilant and always observe health and safety protocols. She vowed to further intensify their prevention, detection, intervention, treatment, and re-integration program to prevent the spread of the virus in Pasay.
As of Aug. 19, Pasay still has one of the lowest COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila with 773 although 107 of them were categorized as new cases.