The country’s daily tally of new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday made Filipinos wonder if they are in “hell.”
The Department of Health on March 24 reported 6,666 new cases, bringing the total count of COVID-19 infections to 684,311.
Out of these, 91,754 or 13.4% are active cases.
It is also considered the sixth highest single-day tally since the start of the pandemic, according to ABS-CBN data analyst Edson Guido.
The fatalities stand at 13,039 while recoveries are at 579,518.
What’s in a number?
Some were creeped out by the the daily tally of the new COVID-19 cases as it consists of four figures of the number six.
“That’s a diabolical looking number tho,” Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez commented.
“6666? Is this an omen?” another Twitter user said.
“6666 – 6th highest tally since the pandemic began (flushed face emoji). #ominous,” commented a different Filipino.
“o h m a i (4). 666 is the beast’s number so—creepy,” a Twitter user said.
“6666? We’re in hell? hahahuhu,” shared another online user.
Rogerson’s Book of Numbers said that Saint John in the Book of Revelation attributes 666 as the “number of the beast.”
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the Christian Bible.
“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six,” an excerpt of its reads.
Merriam-Webster said that the number “is sometimes viewed an invocation of Satan and regarded as cursed.”
Cases prediction
On Monday, the national government placed the Greater Manila Area (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal) under a stricter general community quarantine due to the continuous surge in COVID-19 cases.
The OCTA Research Group said that the country’s daily tally could reach 10,000 cases by the end of the month if the current trend continues.
The team said that half of these cases could likely be recorded from the capital region.
