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The Department of Health (DOH) reported on Saturday, March 6, 2021, more than 3,000 new cases of coronavirus infections for the second day in a row, leading to the cumulative count of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the Philippines. to more than 590,000.
The 3,439 new cases were the highest in the period from October 13, 2020 to March 6, 2021.
These brought the total number of cases in the country to 591,138.
Of the total, 43,323 were active cases in hospitals and isolation facilities.
There were 42 additional deaths, bringing the death toll to 12,465. The fatality rate remained at 2.11 percent.
There were 160 new recoveries, for a total of 535,350.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a televised public briefing that it would be wrong to immediately link the increase in cases to the presence of Sars-Cov-2 variants and mutations.
She blamed the increase in cases on failure to meet minimum public health standards.
“Yes, different variants are being detected. But we must realize that the increase in cases is actually due to our failure to comply with health protocols,” he said.
“So if we continue to see non-compliance with minimum public health protocols, the cases will definitely continue to increase. Variations are just aggravating factors,” he added.
If cases continue to rise, Vergeire said stricter community quarantine restrictions are possible.
“From now on, we cannot assure you that there will be no ECQ again. If we get to that point where we need to impose the blockade again, we will definitely do it as an additional measure,” Vergeire said.
“Such a scenario can actually be avoided if we help the government by complying with the minimum health protocols that we have,” he added.
DOH has noted an increase in cases over the past two weeks in the National Capital Region, Central Visayas, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
With the additional variant cases announced on Friday, there are now 118 cases with variant B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the UK, and 58 cases with variant B.1.351 from South Africa. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)
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