Philippines logs 16,313 new COVID-19 cases, total at 1,899,200

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 16,313 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,899,200.

The DOH reported 236 coronavirus-related deaths, pushing the country's death toll to 32,728.

DOH epidemiology bureau director Alethea De Guzman said that COVID-19 infections and deaths continue to rise in the Philippines.

She added that the COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila continue to increase, with reported cases rising by 16 percent compared to last week.

De Guzman classified Metro Manila as a high-risk area due to the high average daily attack rate (ADAR) in the capital region, home to over 13 million people.

"All areas in Metro Manila have high-risk ADARs and moderate to high-risk utilization rates for all districts," she told an online briefing, adding that 13 areas have high-risk health systems capacity.

De Guzman warned that Metro Manila "will probably" see "new peaks" of new cases "in the next days and week" because of the upward trend.On Monday, the DOH confirmed that the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant has spread in the communities in Metro Manila and its adjacent Calabarzon region.

De Guzman said that the highly infectious Delta has been detected in 16 of the country's 17 regions. Alpha and Beta coronavirus variants have also been seen across the country.

Since the last week of July, De Guzman said the country's coronavirus deaths have increased. "Sudden increase in Metro Manila was observed in the first week of August," she added.

The Philippines, which has a population of around 110 million, has tested over 17 million people since the outbreak in January 2020. (ANI/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )