Philippines adds 12,426 COVID-19 cases in past week Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Philippines logged 12,426 COVID-19 cases last week, the Department of Health's latest case bulletin showed Monday. From May 15 to 21, an average of 1,775 daily infections were logged in the country, which is 0.1 percent higher compared to the previous week. This is the highest number of weekly cases in 31 weeks or since the week of October 10-16, 2022, when the department logged 15,172 cases based on the COVID-19 Data Drop, according to the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group (IRG). The IRG added that this is also the 10th straight week that the number of weekly cases is above 1,000 and the 2nd straight week that the number of weekly cases is above 10,000. Of the latest infections, some 87 cases were considered severe or critical, the DOH's latest case bulletin showed. The number of severe and critical admissions from May 15 to May 21 is 11% higher than the prior week or 49 admissions more than the prior week’s 437 cases, the IRG noted. As of Sunday, a total of 486 cases or 9 percent of total COVID-19 admissions were in severe and critical condition, the agency added. At least 389 or 18.2 percent of intensive care unit beds for COVID patients were occupied. The non-ICU bed utilization rate was at 23 percent. This is the 22nd straight week that the COVID-19 ICU bed utilization rate is below 20 percent. During the past week, the DOH also verified 13 more COVID-related fatalities, citing late encoding of death information. According to IRG's analysis, this is the highest death count in five weeks or since the week of April 10 to 16, 2023 when DOH logged 20 deaths. Based on the DOH's COVID-19 Tracker, the Philippines has 16,422 active COVID-19 cases as of May 21. Three years since the pandemic was declared, over 4.1 million coronavirus infections were recorded in the country. Some 66,466 people have succumbed to the virus. Member states of the World Health Organization have begun negotiations towards an international agreement aimed to ensure the world is better equipped to prevent or more effectively respond the next time a pandemic hits. The process is still in the early stages, but the aim is for agreement to be reached in time for the next World Health Assembly, in May 2024. "The pandemic accord that member states are now negotiating must be a historic agreement to make a paradigm shift in global health security, recognizing that our fates are interwoven," WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday.

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