MANILA, Philippines (Update 1, 5:35 p.m.) — The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the Philippines reached 31,825 after 1,150 cases—the highest increase in a single day to date—were added to the national tally Tuesday.
The Department of Health said that 789 of the newly-validated cases were patients who tested positive for COVID-19 within the last three days. Central Visayas accounted for 288 of these fresh cases, followed by Metro Manila with 207.
The remaining 294 fresh cases were detected elsewhere.
Meanwhile, 361 cases were classified late or part of the agency’s backlog. Around 31% of these cases were from the capital region, while only around 8% were from Central Visayas. The remaining 61% of the late cases were spread out across the archipelago.
For weeks now, the DOH has been reporting more fresh cases than late cases. This, despite the months-long implementation of varying community quarantine measures in the country.
The increase in the number of COVID-19 came after the government further eased restrictions on movements in Metro Manila and other areas at high risk of virus transmission to revitalize the country’s bruised economy.
The department also reported record-high 299 recoveries. This pushed to 8,442 the total number of COVID-19 survivors in the country.
Total recoveries accounted for around 27% of the confirmed cases in the Philippines.
But the death toll rose to 1,186 after nine more patients succumbed to the severe respiratory illness.
Government officials said Metro Manila remains the epicenter of the outbreak. Cebu—which is placed under enhanced community quarantine until end-June—is considered a hotspot.
Currently, there are 65 licensed laboratories nationwide. Only 558,163 individuals have been so far tested for coronavirus in the country.
WHO: COVID-19 pandemic ‘accelerating’
The coronavirus pandemic has killed 471,754 people worldwide with the global caseload reaching 9.07 million.
“The pandemic is still accelerating,” WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The WHO chief added that the greatest threat was not the virus itself but the “lack of global solidarity and global leadership.”
“We cannot defeat this pandemic with a divided world,” he said. — with report from Agence France-Presse
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