MANILA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 545 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,673,201.
The DOH said the death toll from COVID-19 complications now reached 57,999.
"The COVID-19 cases are now on a slow decline," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told an online briefing, noting that the total bed utilization is at low risk, and the country's intensive care utilization is steadily declining.
The DOH has reported under 1,000 daily cases since March 2 as the Omicron wave, which peaked in mid-January, ebbed. It reported the highest single-day tally on Jan. 15, with 39,004 new cases.
The Philippines, with around 110 million population, has tested nearly 27 million people. ■