The number of COVID-19 deaths in the Philippines hit 16,048 on Monday, April 19, after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 88 more fatalities due to the disease. 

The total number of cases in the country likewise climbed to 945,745, following 9,628 new COVID-19 cases reported. Of the total cases, 14.9% or 141,375 cases are active or currently sick.

Recoveries shot up by 9,266, raising the total to 788,322.

The DOH also reported a positivity rate of 15.4% out of 24,432 tests in its bulletin. These positive cases are added to the tally of confirmed cases only after further validation. The department explained the process helps ensure that cases would not be recorded in duplicates and that all test results had been submitted.

The DOH said 4 laboratories were not able to submit their data on time.

The increase in the number of deaths and new cases comes as the Philippines once again saw a surge in infections since early March, bringing the pandemic in the country to its worst phase yet.

The high number of infections has overloaded level 3 hospitals in Metro Manila, many of which where operating at high risk or critical levels, with at least 70% of beds occupied. 

Lack of space in health centers catering to COVID-19 patients has also prompted families to turn social media for help with finding available hospitals for admission, with some others turning to home treatment as there was no space left in hospitals.

On Monday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said it would still take a “few more days” before the country could see the effect of recent lockdown restrictions on the number of cases and hospitalizations. 

Vergeire earlier said the enforcement of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila, the center of the Philippines’ pandemic – had not gone to waste as the government was able to add more beds in hospitals and distribute mechanical ventilators across health facilities in the country. 

Aside from this, health workers had been reassigned to the capital region to help support operations in several hospitals while additional hotlines were added to the One Hospital Command and local government units to help patients seeking care for COVID-19. – Rappler.com