Philippines logs 1,623 new COVID-19 cases, 133 deaths

The Philippines is experiencing a new spike in COVID-19 infections, with daily infections hitting 1,623 on Thursday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 2,841,260.

Thursday's caseload ended 36 straight days of reporting less than 1,000 cases. Officials attribute the spike to poor compliance with public health guidelines and an increase in mobility of people amid the holiday season.

The DOH also reported that 133 more people died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the country's death toll to 51,373.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday he is "a little bit of worrisome" about the fast-spreading Omicron variant. "It is a problem looming on the horizon," he said in a speech at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila.

Duterte expressed concerns over the impact of another virus wave fueled by the Omicron variant on the country's ongoing efforts to recover from the pandemic lasting nearly two years.

The Philippines has detected four Omicron cases so far. The DOH did not relate the spike to Omicron, saying it has not seen a community transmission of the fast-spreading variant.

The DOH reported its highest caseload on Sept. 11, with 26,303 cases, as the country grappled with the third wave of infections.

The Philippines, which has around 110 million population, has tested more than 23.5 million people since the pandemic. (ANI/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )

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