Philippines reports 1,841 new COVID-19 cases; total at 63,001

The Philippines on Friday reported 1,841 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, of which 710 are "fresh" or newly validated and 1,131 are late, bringing the nationwide tally to 63,001.

The Department of Health also announced that total recoveries rose to 21,748 with 311 new ones while 17 more fatalities brought the death toll in the country to 1,660.

The five provinces or cities with the highest number of new cases are Manila with 441, Quezon City with 140, Mandaluyong with 96, Cebu City with 87, and Navotas with 86.

There are also 39,593 active cases. Among this, 90.3 percent are mild, 8.8 percent are asymptomatic, 0.4 percent are severe, and 0.4 percent are in critical condition.

Experts from the University of the Philippines has projected that the country may have 80,000 COVID-19 cases by July 31 due to a “genuine surge” of infections.

The experts earlier projected that the number of cases could spike to 60,000 by the end of July. On July 16, the country's cases topped 61,000. -MDM, GMA News