After maintaining fewer than 3,000 new cases of COVID-19 for almost two weeks, the Philippines on Sunday logged 3,190 new infections, bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic started to 322,497, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.
Sunday's record was the highest since Sept. 21.
Health authorities reported 100 new deaths, bringing total fatalities to COVID-19 to 5,776.
The DOH also announced 18,065 recoveries, bringing to 273,079 the number of patients who have recovered from the disease.
There were 43,642 active cases as of Sunday, 85.4 percent of which were mild, 9.2 percent of which were asymptomatic, 1.7 percent of which were severe and 3.8 percent of which were critical.
The Philippines has the highest number of total cases in Southeast Asia despite implementing the longest and strictest lockdown in the region.
The Philippine Red Cross on Sunday said it now has 10 licensed COVID-19 testing laboratories nationwide and is working to lower its testing price.
The Red Cross conducted 11,138 tests on Saturday, while more laboratories located in Surigao, Cotabato, Passi City in Iloilo, and Isabela are targeted to be operational in the next few weeks, said former Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial, who now heads the Philippine Red Cross' biomolecular laboratories.
“The rate of positive patients was at 7 percent. It has since gone down to 4 percent, as of yesterday,” Ubial said in Filipino in an interview on ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.
PRC Chairman Senator Richard Gordon said the Red Cross is working to make COVID-19 tests more affordable.
COVID-19 testing in private hospitals costs between P4,000 and P10,000 for express results.
Gordon said the cost through the Red Cross might go down to as low as P1,500.
Also on Sunday, Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza batted for an “autonomous” Food and Drug Administration to screen COVID-19 vaccines free from the “meddling” of the Department of Health.
Over 30 COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be analyzed by April 2021
“We want a new and totally independent FDA to analyze every coronavirus vaccine tendered, not just to avoid a repeat of the Dengvaxia mess, but to ensure that Filipinos get the best possible immunization in terms of efficacy and safety without any shortcuts,” Atienza said, referring to the anti-dengue drug that was administered to about 700,000 mostly school-age children before its ill effects on those who had not come into contact with the disease was known.
“One of the lessons we learned from the Dengvaxia affair is that we have to insulate the FDA from unwanted external pressures, including those that might come from future health officials who are also politicians,” he added.
Under House Bill 1106, the FDA would be completely detached from the DOH “whose officials in the past had been accused of meddling in favor of the expedited regulatory approval of Dengvaxia.”
Since its establishment in 1963, the FDA has always been attached to, and under the supervision of the DOH.
Also on Sunday, a former Health secretary said the government must mobilize the whole society to combat COVID-19 infections.
“It’s time for the President and other leaders to call on all those who have the capacity to help, the whole society, whole of government, whole of systems to coordinate. It’s time to take unified action,” Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan said in Filipino during an interview on Teleradyo.
Tan said the government should also allow more health experts from around the Philippines to help them.
The country has seen one of the longest coronavirus lockdowns in the world yet the number of infections continued to rise.
