Philippines logs 18K new COVID-19 cases

The Philippines reported 18,012 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 2.12 million.

Recoveries increased by 18,945 to reach 1.93 million, while deaths rose to 34,498 with an additional 161 fatalities.

Active cases stood at 158,637, with 92% being mild and the rest in various stages of severity.

The Department of Health noted that 35 duplicates were removed from the tally, including 28 recoveries and 105 reclassified as deaths.

Health data showed 79% ICU usage and 80% occupancy of dedicated COVID-19 beds, with 63% of mechanical ventilators in use.