Philippines logs 543 new COVID-19 cases, 113 more deaths

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 543 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 2,835,154.

The DOH also reported that 113 more people died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the country's death toll to 49,499. Of the 113 reported deaths, only 14 occurred this month.

The Philippines has been reporting below 1,000 cases since November 24. The number of new COVID-19 cases in the whole country and the capital region Metro Manila continues to slow, declining by 42 percent and 45 per cent respectively from the previous week, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

"Majority of the regions are at minimal risk case classification, and the health systems capacity is at low risk in all regions," Vergeire told an online briefing.

She said that the percentage of critical cases is slowly declining while severe cases showed a sharp decline since the end of October.

Amid the improving COVID-19 situation, Vergeire urged people not to be complacent, saying the threat of COVID-19 remains. The DOH reported its highest caseload on September 11, with 26,303 cases.

The Philippines, which has around 110 million population, has tested nearly 23 million people since the pandemic. (ANI/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )