The number of people injured due to firecrackers has climbed to 288, the Department of Health (DoH) reported Thursday.
Based on the Fireworks-Related Injury Surveillance 2019 Report No. 12, the figure was listed as of December 21, 2019 to 6 a.m. of January 2, 2020.
The DoH said that the current figure was 25 cases lower compared to the cases recorded from December 21, 2018 to January 2, 2019.
“These were all injuries due to fireworks. No stray bullet injury or firework ingestion reported. No death reported (as well),” the health department said.
Most number of cases came from the National Capital Region with 143 injuries; Western Visayas with 29 injuries; Ilocos region with 26; Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) with 22; and Central Luzon with 19 injuries.
“One hundred seventy-two (60 percent) injuries were due to legal fireworks. The top fireworks involved were Kwitis, Fountain, Luces, Piccolo, and Triangle,” the DoH said. Among the five, Piccolo and Triangle were considered illegal fireworks.
The health department said that most cases sustained hands and eye injuries.
On Wednesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III expressed hopes that the Duterte administration “will be able to make a legacy of an absolute ban of fireworks so we will have zero injury.” (Analou de Vera)
