Philippines logs 1,196 new Covid-19 cases, death toll breaches 65k

Manila, Dec 17 The Philippines reported 1,196 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 4,055,396, the country's Health Department said.

The Department of Health said the number of active cases dipped to 18,262, while 39 more patients died from Covid-19 complications, taking the country's death toll to 65,034.

Metro Manila, the capital region with more than 13 million people, tallied 471 new cases, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Philippines reported its highest Covid-19 single-day tally of 39,004 new cases on January 15. The country, with a population of around 110 million, has fully vaccinated more than 73.8 million people.

The Philippines has tested more than 33.88 million people since the viral disease emerged in the country in early 2020. The number of tested people includes only those using RT-PCR tests. Many opt to use the more affordable antigen tests or forego tests altogether.