Philippines' inflation picks up to 4.2% in January as Covid-19 total reaches 535,521 on Saturday (Feb 6)

A health worker collects a saliva sample in a sealed package at a drive-thru coronavirus disease (Covid-19) saliva testing site, in Pasay city, Metro Manila, Philippines. - Reuters

MANILA, Feb 6 (Xinhua): Year-on-year headline inflation in the Philippines accelerated to 4.2 percent in January 2021, up from 3.5 per cent in December 2020, driven by increases in food and non-alcoholic beverages, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has announced.

"This is the highest inflation recorded since February 2019," PSA head Claire Dennis Mapa told a virtual press conference.