Philippines logs 11,028 new COVID-19 cases, total nears 800,000

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 11,028 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 795,051.

The death toll climbed to 13,425 after two more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. The Philippines, which has about 110 million population, has tested over 9.7 million people since the outbreak in January 2020.

More Filipinos will receive the jabs as the government ramps up its COVID-19 immunization drive this week, urging frontline medical workers and senior citizens with underlying conditions to get inoculated.

The DOH said it is speeding up the vaccination of its over 1.7 million healthcare workers.

Mla City Mayor, Francisco Domagoso got his Sinovac jab on Sunday after the government allowed the vaccination of mayors and governors in Metro Mla and areas with high infection rates.

Domagoso vouched for the safety of the Chinese vaccine. "It's an approved, safe product (approved) by our regulatory agency," he told reporters after getting the vaccine, urging his constituents to take the shots.

Metro Mla and its four adjacent areas remain under strict lockdown measures for another week as infections continue to surge.

The Philippines began vaccinations on March 1, a day after the first batch of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine donated by China arrived in the country.

The government aims to inoculate up to 70 million Filipinos this year to achieve herd immunity, starting with health care workers and the elderly. (/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )