Philippines’ COVID-19 death toll surpasses 100 as global infections near million
MANILA, Philippines (Update 1, 5:46 p.m.) — Philippines’ death toll from the new coronavirus surpassed the 100-level Thursday following the announcement of 11 more fatalities.
The country’s death toll now sits at 107 while confirmed cases reached 2,633 after the Department of Health reported additional 322 infections.
For the second consecutive day, DOH reported only one recovery, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 51.
There are additional 1,154 persons under investigation and 6,321 persons under monitoring.
Health authorities have been working to increase testing capacity and subnational testing laboratories are already being set up across the country.
Since late January, only 4,726 people have been tested.
The national government is converting the Philippine International Convention Center, the World Trade Center and the Rizal Memorial Stadium—all located in outbreak epicenter Metro Manila—to house additional 1,950 hospital beds and assist overburdened medical centers.
The Duty Free establishment in Paranaque, PhilSports Arena in Pasig, Quezon Memorial Circle Complex, Veterans Medical Center Complex, Amoranto Stadium and Quezon Institute in Quezon City will be also converted into isolation areas.
14 Filipino deaths abroad
The Department of Foreign Affairs also reported on Thursday that the number of Filipinos overseas who have contracted the virus reached 448 after 48 new cases were recovered.
Of the figure, 121 have recovered—including the 80 Filipinos aboard cruise ship Diamond Princess docked in Japan.
Meanwhile, 14 have died from the virus. The latest fatality was Bernardita Catalla, Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon, who has been career diplomat for 27 years.
The World Health Organization said the infections worldwide would reach one million “in the next few days.”
“As we enter the fourth month since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of infection,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
More than 932,000 people have been infected by the new coronavirus and nearly 46,000 have died since it first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
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