Philippines records new record-high 178,351 active cases, 401 fatalities

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:23 p.m.) — The Philippines on Friday logged 12,225 new COVID-19 cases, pushing national caseload to 840,554.

• Active cases: 178,351 or 21.2% of the total
• Recoveries: 946, bringing the number to 647,683
• Deaths: 401 or now 14,520 in total

What’s new today?

• Friday’s case tally shows the highest recorded active cases in the country at 12,225.
   
• The Philippines also logged the highest death toll in a day, at 401 new fatalities.
   
• Friday’s number also showed 21.4% daily positivity rate of the 39,630 who were tested for the coronavirus.

• ANX Research reported that the Philippines, along with India, Malaysia and Indonesia, are likely to be among “laggards” in Asia tourism revival as these destinations remain “weak” in terms of reopening to tourists amid slow vaccination and uncontrolled local outbreaks.
   
• The Department of Health asserted that “every centavo” of its nine billion Bayanihan funds was accounted for in the construction of health infrastructure amid questions on the breakdown of expenditure.
   
• President Rodrigo Duterte hailed COVID-19 frontliners and fallen soldiers in his Day of Valor message. On the same day, Agence France-Presse published a report on families of COVID-19 positive patients scouring Metro Manila for hospitals that can admit them.
   
• The Bureau of Immigration clarified that foreigners are still not allowed to enter the country, but those intending to come in for emergency or humanitarian reasons must first seek exemption from the National Covid Task Force against COVID-19.
   
• The Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is set to meet on Saturday to discuss the quarantine qualification of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal. Latest announcement from the Palace said “NCR Plus” bubble will remain under enhanced community quarantine until April 11.
  
  — Kristine Joy Patag

Related Stories

LIVE updates: COVID-19 in the Philippines 2021

'Full capacity everywhere': Manila hospitals struggle as virus surges