(Eagle News) — COVID-19 cases in the country breached the 507,000 mark on Thursday, Jan. 21, after the Department of Health reported 1783 additional cases.
According to the DOH, of the 507,717 total cases, 5.9 percent or 30,126 cases were active.
Of these, 84.8 percent were mild, 8 percent asymptomatic, 4.4 percent critical, 2.5 percent severe, and 0.4 percent were moderate.
The areas with the most COVID-19 cases reported today were Quezon City with 99, Rizal with 83, Manila with 78, Bulacan with 69, and Cavite with 66.
Recoveries rose to 467,475 including the 500 additional ones.
The death toll climbed to 10,116 with the addition of 74 deaths, the DOH data said.
The government is gearing up for a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination that will target 50 to 60 percent of the population.
According to the DOH, the aim is to achieve herd immunity, or a phenomenon in which the rest of the population is provided indirect protection because most of the population is immune to an infectious disease.
On Thursday, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippines would get up to 40 million free COVID-19 vaccine doses from the COVAX facility, which ensures that all countries have access to the vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Food and Drug Administration has so far issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
