The country recorded 4,444 new Covid infections on Wednesday bringing the the total number of confirmed cases to 143,749.
There were 636 recoveries. This brings the total number of recoveries to 68,997.
A total of 93 deaths were also recorded. The death toll stood at 2,404.
Of the 4,444 reported cases as of 4 p.m. of August 12, 3,294 (74 percent) cases occurred within the recent 14 days (July 30-August 12, 2020).
The top regions with cases from the recent two weeks were from National Capital Region ( 1,855 or 57 percent), Region 4A (580 or 18 percent) and Region 3 (190 or 6 percent).
Of the 93 deaths, 13 (14 percent) happened in August, 49 (53 percent) in July, 30 (32 percent) in June, and 1 (1 percent) in May. Deaths were from Region 7 (67 or 72 percent) NCR(16 or 17 percent) Region 9 (3 or 3 percent) Region 6 (2 or 2 percent) Region 5 (2 or 2 percent) Region 11 (2 or 2 percent) and Region 4A (1 or 2 percent).
As to the clustering, the DOH said that based on their August 12 data, 69 additional areas of clustering were reported.
These bring the total of areas of clustering to 1,107.
The additional areas where from the following regions:
NCR- 17
Region 4A- 17
Region 5- 13
Region 7- 4
Region 9- 4
Region 2- 4
Region 3- 3
Region 6- 3
Region 10- 2
Eastern Visayas- 2
Rizal’s Covid-19 response
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III assured the local chief executives of the Province of Rizal that the National Government, through the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), the National Task Force (NTF) and the Department of Health (DOH), is ready to assist them in ramping up the province’s Covid-19 response.
“Kinakailangan po talagang comprehensive ang response natin to effectively contain the transmission and crush the cluster. If we cannot do that, the spread will continue,” Duque explained during the Covid-19 Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) meeting with Rizal’s Task Force Covid on Wednesday.
Duque was joined by NTF Chairperson Secretary Eduardo Año, Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rolando Bautista, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Testing Czar Secretary Vivencio Dizon, and MMDA General Manager and Undersecretary Jose Arturo Garcia, Jr. Also present were Governor Rebecca Ynares and mayors from the 14 cities and municipalities of Rizal.
As of August 11, 2020, Rizal has 1,416 active cases; 883 of which are mild, 15 are asymptomatic, 8 are severe, and 7 are critical. Currently, the province has a 13.13-day case doubling time, and 67.85 percent critical utilization rate.
The LGU of Rizal Province has established its own mega swabbing center in Antipolo City, which can take specimens from 1,500-2,000 patients a day. The province also has an ongoing application for accreditation for its Antipolo City Molecular Laboratory.
Duque also recommended to ensure that isolation and quarantine facilities are in place. He shared that they have been in constant coordination with Department of Education on the possible use of classrooms as temporary isolation facilities to augment the LGU’s existing 1,631-bed facility.
Image credits: Roy Domingo