By BETHEENA UNITE
COVID-19 cases in the country increased to 450,733 after 1,339 new infections were recorded Monday by the Department of Health.
There were 41 new recoveries, pushing the nationwide recovery count to 418,723, but 24 new fatalities were recorded, taking the death toll to 8,757.
Quezon City had the highest number of new cases with 147, followed by Davao City with 124, Rizal with 65, Laguna with 50, and Manila with 49.
There are 23,253 active cases – 85.1 percent mild, 5.7 percent asymptomatic, 5.9 percent in critical condition, three percent severe, and 0.32 percent are moderate.
Sixty-one percent of the total Intensive Care Unit beds dedicated for COVID-19 around the country are available while 64 percent of the isolation beds allocated for the disease are also available.
Of the total ward beds intended for COVID-19 patients nationwide, 74 percent are unused and 80 percent of the ventilators are available.
As the holiday season approaches, the Health department warned the public anew that cases might surge as projected if minimum health standards are not maintained.
“As we have said these past weeks, there is that possible surge and we recognized that. Kaya gusto natin paghandaan ito (That is why we want to be prepared for this) by informing the public that there could be this possible surge if minimum health standards are not observed,” Vergeire said citing projections of the department’s partners from the academe.
The Health official also stressed that the strict community quarantines imposed in the country to prevent the transmission of the disease were not put to waste.
