FOR the first time since last October, more than 5,000 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases were reported by the Department of Health yesterday while 18 more lost their battle against the deadly virus.
In its latest bulletin, the DOH said total infections in the country rose to 2,861,119 counting the 5,434 new cases while the death toll climbed to 51,604 for a case fatality rate of 1.80 percent.
The last time the country had more than 5,000 cases was on October 24, 2021 when 5,279 new infections were reported.
The current positivity rate in the Philippines stood at 26.2 percent among the 24,855 tested samples on January 2.
Active cases jumped to 29,809 from 24,992 last Monday, with over 24,000 mild cases and more than 3,000 moderate cases.
The DOH also reported 611 more recoveries, bringing the number of survivors to 2,779,706. The DOH said the recovery rate stands at 97.2 percent.
PNP chief Dionardo Carlos, his aide, and his driver have tested positive for COVID-19 while the PNP’s No. 2 man is on quarantine after being exposed to a positive individual.
Carlos said he, his children, his close-in security personnel and staff took RT-PCR test last Sunday due to reports that personnel at the White House, the PNP chief’s office residence in Camp Crame, had fever and chills.
“Unfortunately, I too, tested positive, including my duty driver and aide who were with me in the van Sunday morning,” said Carlos, adding he contracted a “suspected Omicron variant” but did not elaborate.
“This is to confirm that I, PGen. Dionardo B. Carlos, tested positive for COVID-19 virus (suspected Omicron variant),” Carlos said in a message to reporters.
“I experienced fever, chills and body sweats Sunday evening but come Monday, 03 January (20)22, only lower back pain remains,” he said, adding he is currently on quarantine.
PNP deputy chief for administration Lt. Gen. Joselito Vera Cruz said he went on quarantine after he was exposed last Friday to a private individual positive for the deadly virus.
As of yesterday, the PNP had 42,370 personnel infected with the virus, including 107 new cases, with 42,081 having recovered, 164 active cases and 125 deaths.
Vice President Leni Robredo said she has tested negative for COVID-19 after completing quarantine due to exposure to a positive case, a security aide who was tested last December 29.
“Today, we are all finally reunited (with my daughters) after I completed my quarantine and got a negative RT-PCR,” the opposition’s presidential aspirant said in a Facebook post.
While she was lucky not to have contracted the dreaded virus, Robredo said that while on quarantine, she “got tonsillitis, had a really high fever and bad chills and couldn’t eat for three straight days.”
“Doc decided to put me on IV so I was attached to it all through the New Year,” she said.
“Sorry for all the missed messages, greetings, etc. I’m back to my old self now and reunited with my girls. I will try my best to catch up starting today.”
Robredo, however, said her daughter Tricia, a physician, suffered a “double whammy” because she did not only test positive for the virus on Christmas Day but also contracted dengue during her 14-day quarantine.
She said it was a “miracle” that her two other daughters, Aika and Jillian, did not get the virus because they flew in with Tricia to the Philippines from the United States.
The San Juan government reported 255 active COVID-19 cases yesterday, up from just five last December 14.
Mayor Francis Zamora said this is the first time COVID-19 cases doubled or tripled on a daily basis in the city since the pandemic started. — With Victor Reyes, Wendell Vigilia, and Christian Oineza
