MANILA, Philippines (Update 1, 4:56 p.m.) — The coronavirus disease has sickened 13,597 people in the Philippines as concerns grow on the potential surge in infections following the easing of quarantine measures.
After reporting new daily cases of over 200 for more than a week, the Department of Health on Friday afternoon confirmed 163 additional COVID-19 cases.
Majority of the additional infections were recorded in outbreak epicenter Metro Manila with 91 cases. Some 34% of the new cases were from Central Visayas, while 10% were reported elsewhere in the country.
The number of people who have recovered from the respiratory disease reached 3,092 with the addition of 92 more patients who have survived COVID-19.
But 11 more people died from the illness. This pushed the nation’s death toll to 857.
The DOH also reported that 2,236 healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19. Of the number, 1,086 medical frontliners have recovered, while 31 have died.
Currently, there are 31 testing laboratories nationwide. Latest data from the government showed that 247,239 people have been tested for the coronavirus in the country.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III clarified Thursday that the country is still dealing with the “first major wave of a sustained community transmission.” He made the pronouncement a day after he drew flak for saying the country is now experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 infections, which was contradicted by Malacañang and other medical experts.
Some 333,032 people have died out of more than 5.1 million confirmed COVID-19 infections worldwide.
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