MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) tallied a new record-high single-day increase of 40,397 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recoveries as confirmed cases breached the 160,000 mark.
DOH undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual press conference on Sunday afternoon that the record-high recoveries, which increased the country’s COVID-19 recovered patients to 112,586, was due to their “Oplan Recovery” initiative.
Under Oplan Recovery, patients who have completed 14 to 21 days of isolation without developing symptoms are re-tagged as COVID-19 recovered patients.
“Through this initiative, data collection, validation, and reconciliation of information is enhanced between the DOH central and regional offices and the local government units,” Vergeire said.
“We are announcing time-based recoveries from COVID-19 regularly every Sunday,” she added. “Current recovery policies now show that at the 10th day of illness, the risk of transmitting the virus to other people is significantly reduced.”
Under the time-based and symptom-based strategy of the DOH, which is approved by the World Health Organization, asymptomatic to critical COVID-19 cases may be re-tagged as recoveries upon meeting certain criteria.
Asymptomatic cases must complete 14 days of isolation starting on the day their positive swab test result was released.
Mild to moderate cases must finish at least 14 days of isolation and must no longer manifest any COVID-19 symptoms for at least three days in order to be declared a recovery.
Similarly, severe to critical cases must complete a minimum of 21 days of isolation and must no longer have any symptoms for at least three days. Patients who are immunocompromised are not covered by the time-based or symptom-based strategy.
Vergeire, meanwhile, said that the number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines reached 161,253 following 3,420 new infections, 80 percent of which contracted the virus within the last 14 days.
The bulk of the newest cases still came from epicenter Metro Manila with 2,091 new infections, followed by Laguna with 263, Cavite with 149, Batangas with 137, and Rizal with 106.
The number of active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine dropped to 46,002 from a record-high 83,109 on Saturday. There were also 65 new casualties, increasing the country’s total count to 2,665.
The DOH said figures reported on Sunday were based on data submitted by 99 out of the 105 operational laboratories. It also removed 85 duplicate cases from the total tally of infections./PN
