MANILA, Philippines (Update 1, 4:44 p.m.) — The Philippines now has a total of 187 novel coronavirus infections on Tuesday after 45 more people tested positive, the Department of Health said.
The spike in infections comes after the DOH confirmed only two cases on Monday.
The Health department also said that a 31-year-old male from Negros Oriental recovered from the disease—making him the fourth case of recovery from among the patients in the country.
The man—one of the two repatriates from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship—tested negative twice for COVID-19 as confirmed by the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital. He will be discharged within the day.
The jump in COVID-19 cases after a month-long prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to place the main island of Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine, ordering some 55 million people to stay home for the next month.
Mass public transportation, which includes the train systems, buses, jeepney and even tricycles, are not allowed to operate during the month-long quarantine.
Twelve deaths were reported in the Philippines since health authorities first detected an infection in late January.
More than 175,500 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in 145 countries, with over 7,000 deaths.