The Philippines on Monday logged 665 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest in 2021, as the country shut its borders to foreign tourists once again due to the new Omicron variant.
The day's tally brought active cases to 16,289, with a total of 993 new recoveries and 141 new deaths reported.
Overall, a total of 2,832,375 COVID-19 cases have been reported since the pandemic began in March 2020, of which 2,767,585 have recovered and 48,501 died.
The Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa, has been classified as a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization. The United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, and Australia had confirmed their first cases of the new COVID-19 strain.
The Philippines tightened restrictions for all arriving travelers regardless of vaccination status due to the new variant. Though much is yet to be known about Omicron, authorities said the public is "encouraged" to wear face shields.
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