DOH: COVID-19 cases continue decline

MANILA, Philippines—Cases of COVID-19 continued to decline, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Friday (Feb. 16).

The DOH said there were only 661 COVID cases reported from Feb. 6 to 12, or an average of only 94 cases reported per day.

This is 35 percent lower than the average number of daily cases the week prior (Jan. 30 to Feb. 5).

Two patients, however, have died of COVID during the Feb. 6 to 12 period.

As of Friday, the DOH COVID-19 Tracker showed a total of 4,140,383 cases.

These included 6,138 active cases, 66,864 deaths and 4,067,381 recoveries.

The DOH said that as of Feb. 11, out of 1,345 dedicated COVID ICU beds, only 151 (11 percent) were occupied, while only 1,528 (14 percent) of 11,291 dedicated COVID non-ICU beds were occupied.

Severe and critical COVID cases admitted in various hospitals tota only 184, said the DOH.

Citing sufficient health care system capacity and low hospital bed utilization rates, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. lifted in July 2023 the nationwide state of public health emergency due to COVID.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte declared a nationwide public health emergency on March 8, 2020.

READ: Marcos declares COVID health emergency over

… Read more