The Philippines recorded a new record of Covid-19 contamination on Friday, August 20 in 24 hours, as the authorities ease health restrictions to relieve the economy, in the face of the financial difficulties of the population.
Read also Covid-19: with the Delta variant, is "herd immunity" unattainable?
More than 13 million people in the capital region of Manila have been confined since August 6 in an attempt to contain a surge in cases linked to the Delta variant, which has overwhelmed hospitals.
The authorities responsible for managing the pandemic resolved on Thursday to authorize the reopening of shops from Saturday.
But the stay-at-home order for non-essential workers is still in effect, while restaurants remain closed.
17% of the vaccinated population
The decision to ease the restrictions comes as the 17,231 new contaminations in 24 hours recorded on Friday are a new record in the Philippines, which has counted more than 1.8 million contaminations since the start of the pandemic, according to data from the Department of health.
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The number of Covid-19 cases could increase further in the coming days,
" warned its officials.
Health authorities, fearing that the Delta variant would sweep over the archipelago as is the case in neighboring countries, redoubled efforts on vaccination in an attempt to hamper the spread of the virus.
Read alsoPhilippines: 24 million people in Manila and its surroundings confined
In the capital Manila region, around half of the target population is expected to be fully immunized by next week, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Thursday. Nationally, only 17% of the population is vaccinated. Official figures show that the pressure is increasing on hospitals in the capital, with 74% of intensive care beds and 70% of Covid-19 unit beds occupied. But President Rodrigo Duterte recently announced that the Philippines could not afford to contain more. The previous lockdown, in March, left the economy bloodless and millions of people jobless.
