Philippines logs 5,279 new Covid-19 cases and another 208 more deaths on Sunday (Oct 24)

Health workers wait to interview children during a vaccination drive against Covid-19 at a sports complex in Marikina, suburban Manila after the national government expanded its innoculation program against Covid-19 to children with comorbidities aged 12-17. - AFP

MANILA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua): The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 5,279 new Covid-19 infections on Sunday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 2,756,923.

The DOH also reported that 208 more people died from Covid-19 complications, bringing the country's death toll to 41,793.

The DOH reported its highest ever daily tally on Sept. 11, with 26,303 cases.

The Philippines, which has around 110 million population, has tested more than 21 million people since the outbreak in January 2020.

The Philippines has also administered over 55 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

More than 25 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated. The government aims to vaccinate up to 70 million people this year.

China donated another batch of Sinovac CoronaVac vaccines to the Philippines on Sunday to support the country's Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

The donation arrived in Manila along with the vaccines of the same brand that the Philippines purchased from China.

In a brief statement to reporters at the airport, Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said the fresh vaccine delivery "demonstrates the kind of friendship from the Chinese government and people" to the Philippines.

Huang expressed hope that the vaccines from China would further contribute to bringing down the cases in the Philippines and speeding up the country's recovery. - Xinhua