Coronavirus and dengue infections are rising in the Philippines, posing early challenges to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s new administration as the health chief post remains vacant.
From January to late June, more than 65,000 had been infected by dengue, up 90% from a year ago, according to health department data.
Covid-19 cases, meanwhile, rose 39% in the week ending July 10 from the week before, with the average daily count at almost 1,500. The daily coronavirus count last breached the 1,000 mark in early-March, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Still, only 17% of intensive care unit beds are occupied.
Marcos, who’s in isolation after being infected with Covid-19, has yet to appoint a health secretary more than a week after taking office. The president plans to ramp up vaccinations and fix “shortcomings” in pandemic response, as he pledged not to impose wide-scale lockdowns that hurt the economy.