Philippines records highest COVID-19 positivity rate at 40%

On Friday, January 7, the Philippines recorded its highest-ever COVID-19 positivity rate of 40%, with 21,819 new cases reported.

The total number of infections since the pandemic began reached 2.91 million, while the death toll increased to 51,871 after 129 more deaths were recorded.

Health authorities also noted that there are currently 77,369 active cases, with varying severities ranging from asymptomatic to critical.

The previous day, January 6, saw a positivity rate of 36.9%, marking the highest since the start of the pandemic and based on test results from over 59,000 samples.

Additionally, health officials reported 29 more cases involving the Omicron variant, bringing the total to 43.