Subscribe to The Daily Telegraph to get unrestricted digital access, home paper delivery, Apps for iPad and Android, member only +Rewards and much more… 
Do you compost or buy second hand? 
The Newsreader review: Exhilirating Australian prestige drama 
Local shares fell on Friday as investors make last-minute adjustments to their portfolios ahead of the main index’s rebalancing, while unease over rising infections grows. 
MANILA — Coronavirus infections in the Philippines reached 530,118 on Wednesday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,266 new COVID-19 cases.
The additional cases do not include data from 7 laboratories that failed to submit on time.
The DOH also reported 68 new COVID-related deaths or a total of 10,942 fatalities. This is the 5th straight day that the additional deaths counted more than 50, according to the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group.
Additional deaths announced daily from January 30 until February 2 ranged from 58 to 80.
There are also 130 new recovered patients or a total of 487,721 recoveries.
Of the 31,455 active cases, 88.8% have mild symptoms, 5.8% are asymptomatic, 2.5% are in critical condition, 2.4% have severe symptoms, and 0.53% have moderate symptoms.
Active infections account for 5.9 percent of the cumulative total cases, while the death toll represents 2.06 percent.
Since last week, the DOH has stopped disclosing the list of areas with the most number of new cases.
The Philippines confirmed its first coronavirus infection on Jan. 30 last year in a Chinese woman who arrived from Wuhan City, China where the disease is believed to have first emerged in late 2019.
The country has reported 17 cases of the more transmissible UK COVID-19 variant.
Authorities expect the arrival in the country of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine this month as they aim to inoculate up to 70 million individuals to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus.
RELATED VIDEO:
