Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases jumped to 21, 819 on Friday from 17, 220 on Thursday as the positivity rate rocketed to 40 percent, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

But the DOH said 94 percent of cases were mild and asymptomatic. Ten laboratories were not able to submit data, it added.

However, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said it would be a mistake if people will be complacent to think that the Omicron variant can only cause mild symptoms.

"That (becoming complacent) would be wrong. There are still many things that we don't know about Omicron because it is a new variant," said Duque.

''We can say easily they are just mild clinically or this will just be a brief surge, but then the people will likely become careless," warned Duque.

He said people should follow minimum public health standards.

Total cases are at 2, 910, 664 out of which 77, 369 are active.

ICU bed occupancy in the National Capital Region, the center of the COVID-19 pandemic, rose to 48 percent while ward bed use went up to 59 percent.

Isolation beds utilization was at 47 percent.

Deaths rose to 129 to bringing total fatalities to 51, 871. There were 973 persons who got well, putting total recoveries at 2, 781, 424. DMS