20,741 COVID Cases Tallied as PH Looks to Booster Shots

The Philippines on Saturday reported 20,741 new COVID cases with authorities set to decide on the authorization of booster shots to tame variant-driven outbreaks.

The day's tally brought active cases up to 157,646 and the cumulative total since the pandemic began to 2,061,084. There were 189 deaths and 21,962 recoveries on Saturday, bringing the totals to 34,062 and 1,869,376.

It was the third time in a week that the daily jump exceeded 20,000.

The country this week crossed the two-million mark of total cases due to outbreaks caused by the hyper-contagious Delta variant.

Next week, the Philippines' vaccine expert panel could release a recommendation on booster doses, said its head, Dr. Nina Gloriani.