OVER 100 firecracker-related injuries were logged on New Year's Day alone, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

Based on the Fireworks-Related Injury Surveillance 2019 Report No. 12, cases increased to 288 as of 6 a.m. Thursday, January 2, 2020 from 164 as of 6 a.m., January 1, 2020.

"There were 124 additional cases of firecracker-related injuries reported by the 61 sentinel hospitals," said the DOH.

The latest figure, however, was still lower by 25 cases (8.0 percent) than the cases in 2018.

Of those injured, the DOH said 211 sustained blast/burn injuries not requiring amputation, 70 injured their eyes, and 10 sustained blast/burn injuries that required amputation.

Injuries involving the hand were the biggest number of cases at 96, followed by eye injuries with 70 and head injuries with 40.

Legal fireworks kwitis (63), fountain (32), and luces (32) were found to be the top causes of injuries, while previous topnotcher piccolo, which is an illegal firecracker, accounted for 17 cases.

Half of the injuries, or 143, happened in the National Capital Region followed by Western Visayas with 29, Ilocos Region with 26, and Calabarzon with 22.

Seven in 10 victims of firecrackers were male, or a total of 201.

The DOH report also pointed that nearly 3 in every 5, or 170 cases, involved passive users, or those not using firecrackers, while 118 others were active firecracker users.

There were no cases of fireworks ingestion nor stray bullet injury.

The DOH also said no deaths due to firecracker-related injuries were reported. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)