COVID-19

Philippines now has half a million COVID-19 cases

Rappler.com

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HEALTH PROTOCOLS. Bus passengers get their temperature checked before boarding.

Rappler file photo

The country breaches the 500,000 mark after the Department of Health reports 1,895 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, January 17

The Philippines now has half a million confirmed cases of the coronavirus, nearly a year after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the country.

The Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,895 new confirmed infections on Sunday, January 17, bringing the Philippines’ total caseload to 500,577.

The DOH also logged 11 new fatalities on Sunday, putting the death toll due to the virus at 9,895.

Meanwhile, 5,868 more have been considered recovered, in line with the DOH’s weekly time-based and symptoms-based strategy of assessing mild and asymptomatic patients. 

As a result, recoveries from COVID-19 now stand at 465,991.

Of the total cases, 24,691 remain active.

The health department continues to urge the public to follow minimum public health standards like wearing face masks and face shields, practicing physical distancing, and regular handwashing and disinfection.

The first case of COVID-19 in the Philippines was reported on January 30, 2020. Community quarantines, travel restrictions, and health protocols were then implemented to prevent the spread of the virus.

In recent days, experts have urged the government to intensify efforts to combat the virus, following the rise in the number of cases after the holiday season, and the presence of a fast-spreading COVID-19 variant that emerged from the United Kingdom.

On Wednesday, January 13, the DOH confirmed that the UK virus variant has been detected in the Philippines. – Rappler.com

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