Philippines’ COVID-19 cases breach 10,000; recoveries now 1,506

The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines breached the 10,000 mark on Wednesday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 320 new infections, bringing the total to 10,004.

The number of patients who have recovered from the respiratory illness also surged to 1,506 with 98 new recoveries.

Meanwhile, the death toll climbed to 658 with 21 more fatalities.

This is the first time that new cases exceeded 300 since 414 new infections were reported on April 6.

Among the newest cases, 179 or 56 percent were from Metro Manila, 98 or 31 percent were from Region VII, while the remaining 43 were spread out across the country.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said Japan will supply the Philippines with anti-flu drug avigan for clinical trials involving 100 patients. 

She also announced that the country’s 23 accredited laboratories have tested 124,420 people as of Tuesday, 89 percent of whom tested negative while 11 percent were positive.

The country’s testing capacity stood at 7,130 as of Tuesday.

A total of 85 facilities are currently undergoing the laboratory accreditation process, 62 of which are already on Stage 3 and above of the five-step procedure.—LDF, GMA News