The Philippines on Tuesday tallied 235 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest ever for 2021, a day before Alert Level 2 expires in Metro Manila.
The day's tally brought active cases to 10,526, with a total of 780 new recoveries and 10 new deaths reported.
Overall, a total of 2,836,868 COVID-19 cases have been reported since the pandemic began in March 2020, of which 2,775,991 have recovered and 50,351 died.
Alert Level 2 in Metro Manila is expected to last until Dec. 15. Fewer daily cases recorded in December led to looser restrictions as more businesses reopened, with observance of health protocols strictly implemented to prevent a surge in cases.
To prevent a possible surge in cases, the Department of Health advised Filipinos to skip buffets and keep holiday gatherings to a minimum.
Omicron, first isolated and detected in South Africa, is yet to be detected in the Philippines. According to the World Health Organization, the new variant spreads faster and weakens vaccines, but causes less severe symptoms according to early data.
MORE ON OMICRON:
How to Deal with Anxiety, Uncertainty from Omicron the Grinch
Omicron Spreads Faster and Weakens Vaccines: WHO
Omicron Might Evade Antibodies, But That Doesn't Mean You Don't Have Immunity
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