Coronavirus COVID-19: Philippines Posts Highest Mortality Rate

Among the countries with Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, the Philippines posts the highest mortality rate based on available data.

As of 10:30 p.m. of Sunday, 15th of March 2020, the Department of Health reported that 12 people died due to the infectious disease out of the 140 confirmed cases.

This puts the Philippines at the top of the list of countries with the highest death rates, as follows:

  • Philippines 8.5%
  • Italy 6.8%
  • Iran 4.8%
  • Indonesia 4.2%
  • China 3.9%
  • South Korea 0.9%ve
  • Thailand 0.8%
  • Singapore 0
  • Malaysia 0

Various factors may have contributed to the high mortality rate, among these is the shortage of test kits for the deadly virus. In one locality, a source said that a medical personnel revealed that hospitals are running out of kits to test patients suspected of contracting the illness.

Aside from confirmed cases, health authories categorized the patients as Persons Under Investigation (PUI) and Persons Under Monitoring (PUM). The apparent shortage of test kits hamper the process of finding out who among the PUIs and PUMs have really been infected. There were reports that only two thousand test kits were distributed to hospitals in key cities.

On the other hand, health workers revealed that some patients and their relatives hide information regarding their travel history and symptoms. The sad fact is that they only reveal the information "after exposing the medical staff to the virus."

The limited number if not lack of quarantine rooms is also a factor. It's a known fact that the country has a few hospitals that are highly equipped with advanced medical facilities and equipment, among which are Makati Medical Center and St. Lukes Hospital.

For these reasons, the COVID-19 mortality rate in the Philippines is expected to increase in the coming days despite government's efforts to impose a "community quarantine" or "partial lockdown."

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