Philippines' COVID-19 cases reach 6,981 as WHO warns virus battle is far from over
MANILA, Philippines (Update 1, 5:31 p.m.) — Nearly 7,000 cases of the new coronavirus have now been detected in the Philippines as the national government is set to decide whether to prolong, life or relax the community quarantine that has upended the daily lives of millions.
The Department of Health on Thursday announced 271 more people tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, pushing the nation’s tally to 6,981.
The total number of COVID-19 survivors rose to 722 with the recovery of 29 patients. There has been a substantial increase in the number of individuals who have been cleared of the virus since the DOH began including in the count those who recovered after undergoing home quarantine.
Deaths related to the new virus went up by 16, raising the death toll to 462.
The Health department said it now takes five days for the declared COVID-19 infections to double. Previously, the doubling time of cases was around three days.
“Ang sinasabi nito bumabagal na ang pagdami ng kaso pero hindi ibig sabihin na magiging complacent na tayo o bibitaw na,” DOH spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said Thursday.
Virus cases remain largely concentrated in Metro Manila, accounting for around 67% of the country’s total cases.
Meanwhile, there are 1,519 cases in the rest of Luzon, 417 cases in Visayas and 167 cases in Mindanao. Some 205 cases are still up for validation.
To date, 64,581 people have been tested in the country.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday warned that the global coronavirus pandemic—which has already infected over 2.6 million people worldwide and killed 183,559—will not end any time soon.
“Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. The virus will be with us for a long time,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics. And some that were affected early in the pandemic are now starting to see resurgence in cases,” he added.
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