This is a friendly reminder that COVID-19 is still around. According to the Department of Health (DOH), the number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines spiked by up to 13 percent during the Holy Week.
DOH logged 1,944 cases from April 3 (Holy Monday) to April 9 (Easter Sunday). Of the number, 17 cases were classified as severe and critical.
Take note that these are cases that have tested positive via an RT-PCR by a DOH-RITM-certified lab. This means the number of cases might actually be higher.
The latest data from DOH also showed that more than 179 million vaccine doses have been administered. Over 79 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Meanwhile, more than 24 million have received booster doses.
DOH Okays Second Booster Shot
In other news, DOH recently gave the green light for most Filipinos to receive their second COVID-19 booster shots.
“We’re just waiting for the release of the implementing guidelines, then we’ll start administering the second booster for the general population,” said Maria Rosario Vergeire, Health officer-in-charge.
According to polling firm Social Weather Stations, in December 2022, some 9.5 million adult Filipinos are unvaccinated.
Image: Pam Menegakis (Unsplash)
