Philippines logs 582 new Covid-19 cases on Friday (Dec 17); top official warns people not to be complacent

Residents wearing face masks as a safety measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus attend the first of nine daily dawn masses before Christmas day at the St. Joseph Parish Church in suburban Las Pinas city, Philippines on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. Filipinos attend nine consecutive dawn masses before Christmas as part of traditional Filipino practice in this largely Roman Catholic nation while the government closely monitors the first omicron virus variant detected on two international travelers in the country. - AP

MANILA, Dec 17 (Xinhua): The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 582 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 2,837,464.

The DOH also reported that 74 more people died from Covid-19 complications, bringing the country's death toll to 50,570.