MANILA, Philippines (Updated, 4:44 p.m.) — The number of individuals who have recovered from the coronavirus disease in the Philippines surpassed the 600-mark Monday as the number of declared infections rose to 6,459.
The Department of Health reported 41 new recoveries, raising the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 613.
Two hundred additional COVID-19 cases were detected Monday. Figures from the agency showed that 3,199 patients are still being treated in hospitals.
Meanwhile, 19 more people have died from the highly-contagious disease. In total, there are now 428 COVID-19-related fatalities in the country.
Seventy-one percent of the nation’s confirmed infections or 4,593 were detected in outbreak epicenter Metro Manila. There are 1,460 COVID-19 cases in the rest of Luzon, which is entering its fifth week of enhanced community quarantine.
The Luzon-wide lockdown is expected to last at least until the end of April. The national government is mulling whether to further prolong the lockdown or to implement modified community quarantines beyond April 30.
Meanwhile, 207 virus cases were detected in Visayas and 157 in Mindanao.
The number of individuals who have been tested in the country stood at 52,837 as of Saturday.
The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic rose to 165,238, according to a tally from US-based John Hopkins University.
More than 2.4 million confirmed cases have been recorded since the pathogen first emerged in China in December last year.
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