Philippines logs 1,734 new COVID-19 cases

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported on Thursday 1,734 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 543,282.

The death toll climbed to 11,469 after 68 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 423 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 500,335.

The Philippines, which has about 110 million population, has tested over 7.7 million people since the disease emerged in January last year.

The DOH has noted a "slight decrease" in the growth rate of COVID-19 cases in the country, adding that the health care utilization rate for all regions "are at the safe zone."

Despite the slight downward trend, Alethea de Guzman of the DOH's Epidemiology Bureau said that "selected regions showed continuous case increase but at a slower rate."

"While cases increased in January, we observed a plateau recently," de Guzman told an online media briefing on Thursday. (/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )