Davao, where the president served as mayor for 20 years, reported an average of 213 cases a day last week. After Indonesia, the Philippines is the Southeast Asian country most affected by the pandemic. The government is expecting another 10 million doses of vaccine.
Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The number of deaths from COVID-19 is constantly rising in the Philippines. Today alone, 95 deaths and 4,777 new cases were reported.
More than 1.3 million cases have been reported, with almost 22,000 deaths, since the start of the pandemic. After Indonesia, the Philippines is the Southeast Asian country most affected by the latest surge in infections.
At present, Davao is the most affected area. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte served as the city’s mayor for 20 years.
More than 2,300 new infections were recorded in the last two weeks alone. The city is in lockdown until 20 June to prevent the virus from spreading.
Duterte yesterday said that restrictions could be tightened across the country if people continue to violate health safety rules.
“We might calibrate our response to the intransigence that you will show. It's up to you,” Mr Duterte said in his weekly televised address.
According to the latest data from the Department of Health, Davao has had an average of 213 cases per day in the last week; more than in Quezon City, the country’s largest city, which has had an average of 207 new cases.
“We see that the burden of cases has shifted to other areas,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
While infections are surging in Davao and nine other cities, mostly in the central and southern parts of the country, they are dropping in Metro Manila.
Metro Manila, which spans 16 cities and is home to some 13 million people, has received most of the vaccines.
The government is expecting more than 10 million doses to arrive in June. This week it approved the use of a vaccine made by China's Sinopharm for emergency use and Pfizer for those 12 years old and up.