1,773 new cases push Philippine COVID-19 tally to over 431,000

The Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tally rose to 431,630 on Monday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 1,773 new infections as 11 laboratories failed to submit reports on time.

Rizal recorded the highest number of newly reported cases at 104, followed by Cavite with 99, Negros Occidental with 88, Davao City with 79, and Laguna with 72.

The total number of recoveries also rose to 398,658 after 44 more patients recovered from the respiratory disease.

The death toll also climbed to 8,392 with 19 new fatalities.

“Moreover, six cases previously tagged as recovered were reclassified as deaths,” the DOH added.

The remaining 24,580 are active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 83.5 percent of which are mild, 7.5 percent are asymptomatic, 3 percent are severe, and 5.7 percent are in critical condition.

Experts from the OCTA Research group earlier said the Philippines may have half a million infections by the end of the year. 

They also identified Metro Manila, Davao del Sur, Quezon, Negros Occidental, Pampanga, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental, and Western Samar as areas of concern due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. 

President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to announce his latest directives on quarantine restrictions later on Monday. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology said the mass vaccination of Filipinos could start in June or July 2021. —LDF, GMA News