A top government official of Phillippines said on Sunday that the country had ordered additional hospital beds and medical resources in and around the capital city of Manila, as the country established a new record for daily COVID-19 infections.
Nearly 60 percent of the 28,707 cases were from the capital region, which has experienced a steady increase in admissions in recent days despite hospital capacity remaining below critical levels, government data revealed.
Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a statement that the health authorities were also urged to extend immunisation drive beyond the region, as many areas fall behind in the said drive.
COVID-19 claimed the lives of another 15 persons, increasing the total death toll to 52,150, according to the health ministry.
Since the pandemic began, the country has reported around 2.96 million cases, making it one of the highest in Southeast Asia.
Following the infection of some of their employees, government offices such as the Senate, House of Representatives and Presidential Communications Operations Office have declared temporary closures as a precaution.
Last week, the government tightened movement restrictions in response to an increase in COVID-19 cases. Unvaccinated people who refuse to heed stay-at-home orders face arrest, according to President Rodrigo Duterte.
At the end of last year, 45 percent of the country’s 110 million residents had received complete vaccination. Unvaccinated people in the capital region are only allowed to leave their houses for urgent travels under current regulations.
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